Venice-based Superjet International has been hard hit by Western sanctions in response to Russia's military incursion into Ukraine. Now they want to reposition themselves with a new shareholder from Abu Dhabi.

Originally Superjet International was founded as a joint sales company of the Rostec subsidiary UAC and Leonardo. The cooperation has now ended. As a result of the sanctions, SSJ-100 sales, which were predominantly provided by Superjet International outside the Russian Federation, have largely come to a standstill.

Now Mark AB Capital Investment has entered with 49 percent. It is a private equity company based in the United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office is the leader of the new cooperation.

A production line is to be set up in Al Ain (Emirate Abu Dhabi). This means that with the support of the government of the United Arab Emirates, Sukhoi Superjet SSJ-100 machines could be assembled in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the future. Apparently one is very careful that the "transfer of specific know-how and technologies" is made possible and that everything is raised so that one does not come into conflict with Western sanctions as far as possible. Indirectly, the – obvious – license production of the UAC enables countries to be supplied that otherwise could not have been supplied due to the sanctions. It could also be that one hopes that one could get to western components via the detour Abu Dhabi. It can therefore be assumed that the USA in particular will be watching the project closely.

In any case, the Emirates say that with the support of the government and the acquisition of 49 percent of the shares in Superjet International, Superjet International will become the “most important engine for the development of the aircraft industry in the country”.