Superjet International, based in Venice, Italy, in which local aircraft manufacturer Leonardo also has a stake, faces an uncertain future. The authorities have frozen assets worth 150 million euros.

The background to the measure is that the government believes that Superjet International falls under the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation. It is a joint venture of the Rostec subsidiary United Aircraft Corporation, whose Sukhoi brand is responsible for the superjet. A partnership with Leonardo was concluded many years ago.

Maintenance for the SSJ-100 is being carried out at Venice Marco Polo Airport. On a small scale, superjets were also finally assembled here for the international market. The joint venture, in which Leonardo only holds a ten percent stake, was also responsible for sales outside of Russia.

Five SSJ-100s were also chained as part of the asset freeze. These had no customers and had been shut down for some time. Local media are also reporting that Superjet International's future is completely unclear. It is expected that due to the sanctions the business will not be able to continue as no parts or aircraft can be imported from Russia. Insolvency could possibly threaten in the next few weeks.

It is currently unclear how many jobs at Superjet International could be on the brink. It was never very successful in sales, as the SSJ-100 was never a big seller in Europe, for example. Cityjet flew with the type and was also able to fulfill an ACMI order for the Lufthansa subsidiary Brussels Airlines with Superjets. However, all Sukhoi SSJ-100 were returned.