LE BOURGET, France (AP) -- Hungarian airline Malev said Monday it signed a letter of intent to buy 30 Sukhoi SuperJet 100 aircraft in a deal worth up to $1 billion.
The agreement was announced at a joint news conference between SuperJet International and Malev at the Paris Air Show.
SuperJet International is a joint venture between Italy's Alenia Aeronautica and Russian jet maker Sukhoi Civil Aircraft.
The SuperJet 100 is seen as key to Russia's attempts to revitalize its civilian aircraft industry. It is making its first appearance outside Russia at the Paris Air Show.
In addition to Malev's letter of intent, SuperJet also has booked 98 firm orders for the jet, with more expected to be announced Tuesday.
Malev is planning to buy Sukhoi Superjet 100s in the 98-seat configuration. The first aircraft will join the Malev fleet starting from 2011 with the delivery of six aircraft per year, Malev said in a statement on its web site.
The SuperJet 100 is designed to fly both regional and medium-haul routes.
Malev was bought by Russian state-owned bank Vnesheconombank in a high-profile deal earlier this year.