Hyderabad, March 5 (IANS) Russian manufacturer United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has bagged orders for 18 An-148 aircraft from three airlines in India and it plans to start deliveries in the first quarter of 2011, company officials said Friday.

The company expects a business of $400 million from the deals and commitments at India Aviation 2010, where the aircraft was displayed for the first time in India.

UAC officials said they had firm orders for eight aircraft in passenger version and 10 in cargo version while negotiations were on for sale of 11 aircraft in passenger version.

Upbeat with the response from airlines in India, Yury Grudinin, director, regional aircraft directorate of UAC, said they would start the process of getting approval from India's aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) immediately after the show.

He claimed that as many as 12 airlines in India evinced interest in buying the aircraft.

He expects to sell 200 aircrafts in Indian market in the next 15 years. 'This 68 to 85 seat aircraft is of right size for India and many other markets in the world,' he said.

UAC and Ukraine-based Antonov Aircraft Concern started manufacturing An-148 last year and two aircraft were already in operation in Russia. The two firms plan to manufacture 18 to 20 aircraft every year.

The Russian firm is also in talks with a few Indian aviation companies to set up its training and maintenance facility for the aircraft.

'The company will set up the facility before the first delivery in India,' said Siddhartha Bose, chairman of Hindavia Aeronautical Services Private Limited, the distributor of UAC in India.