OREANDA-NEWS. May 29, 2012. During an official visit to Ukraine Mr. Raymond Benjamin, General Secretary of ICAO, and Mr. Luis Fonseca de Almeida, Regional Director of ICAO, accompanied by A. Kolesnik, Chairman of State Aviation Authority of Ukraine, visited ANTONOV Company.

Within the visit, the guests familiarized in details with modern programmes of the enterprise and a number of “know-how” used when designing ANTONOV aircraft. They also visited assembly shops and test flight laboratory. They highly appreciated ANTONOV’s potential on design of the new airplanes in accordance with normative documents and recommendations of ICAO. They marked considerable progress in organization of the after-sale support. Training the flight crews of the AN-148 on the KTC-148, the newest complex simulator of D level developed and built by specialists of ANTONOV Company, was also approved. According to ICAO managers, use of such a simulator allows to increase considerably a level of flight safety.

Especial attention ICAO managers paid to possibility of ANTONOV aircraft operation under adverse climatic conditions of extremely low and high ambient temperatures as well as to their ability to be based on poor-equipped or unpaved airfields. Realization of ICAO recommendations in ANTONOV aircraft structure aiming to increase ecological compatibility and economic efficiency of the flights were discussed as well.

While sharing impression of his visit, Mr. Benjamin in particular noted : “ANTONOV” is a company with the world reputation. I had the honour to be here 11 years ago. That time the situation was difficult, today it is much better. Surely, before the trip I familiarized with the main achievements of the enterprise during recent years. Today I saw them with my own eyes and made sure that ANTONOV has big potential and is able to act a substantial part in the world civil aviation”.