CityJet switches aircraft following ‘teething troubles’

Irish airline CityJet is changing the craft it uses to operate a series of routes for Brussels Air after experiencing "teething troubles" with the Sukhoi SSJ100 that it has been using on the services.

The move has prompted the president of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, Alexander Rubtsov, to suggest that his company and the Irish carrier may end their relationship.

CityJet specialises in “wet-leasing”, that is, hiring out both craft and crew to fly routes for other airlines. It has been operating services for Brussels Air using the Sukhoi, until what sources called “teething troubles” prompted a switch to Bombardier CRJ900s.

It is understood that the problems were mainly routed in slower than usual times for maintenance and routine work on the craft, which affected reliability.

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Mr Rubtsov, whose company supplies the SSJ to CityJet, indicated that the “fate of this contract” would be known in the first quarter of this year.