A complete translation from swedish:
Saab is considering resuming the manufacturing of civilian aircraft.
Saab considering resuming its production of civilian aircraft, an operation which has been down for 13 years.
July 11th, 2012 at 16:10
Bloomberg News writes after an interview with CEO Håkan Buskhe at this year's air show in Farnborough, England.
"We started the evaluation almost two years ago. It will not be a completely new aircraft, nor quite like the Saab 2000", Håkan Buskhe is reported to have said about the plans, which should require an initial customer in order to be realized.
Bloomberg News writes that the plans were raised due to increased fuel prices, which increases the demand for relatively fuel efficient so-called turbo-prop aircraft (propeller aircraft of the type that Saab 340 and 2000).
For any production, a joint venture with a not yet designated companies from India may be the case, according to Håkan Buskhe, but points out that the Indian market is not large enough alone to justify a resumption of production. India, according to Bloomberg News, expressed interest in a domestically-developed regional civilian aircraft.
Saab's media relation Manager Erik Magni says to News Agency Direkt that the discussions on civil aircraft production so far are at an early stage, and that decisions for production are not included. He also mentions that it is natural for Saab to keep up with the development of civil aircraft, given the large number of Saab 340 and 2000 still in operation.
"Today there is more than 450 Saab 2000 and Saab 340 (our civilian aircraft) in operation and they are expected to fly for years to come. We have a responsibility to keep us updated on the market and technology", said Saab spokesperson Karin Walka in an email to News Agency Direkt on Tuesday, speaking of the discussions on the possible resumption of production of commercial aircraft.