Isfahan, Dec 26, IRNA -- Once the production and assembly of the second domestically produced passenger plane `Iran-140' was completed, it was rolled out at a ceremony here on Thursday by Iran Plane Production Co. (HESA).

The Iranian 52-passenger plane has been constructed and assembled jointly by HESA from Iran and the Ukrainian Antonov Plane Production Co. at Shahin-Shar, Isfahan.

At the ceremony, tribute was paid to the victims of the Ukrainian Antonov-140 crash by observing one moment of silence, lighting candles and laying garlands beside the victims photos.

Managing Director of HESA, Mohammad Eslami, addressing the ceremony said, "Construction and rollout of the second Iran 140 plane has further encouraged the Iranian experts to go on working on the project."

According to him, the aviation industry in Iran is currently based on a strong scientific foundation and Iranian specialists along with their Ukrainian counterparts jointly collaborating on the `Iran-140' project contribute to its development.

At the ceremony, the Managing Director of the Ukrainian Kharkov Co., Naminkov, said, "The crash of the plane carrying Ukrainian aviation experts was a sorrowful tragedy for Ukraine and Antonov Co."

He added that the deceased experts visit to Iran was aimed at assisting the constant production of `Iran-140' .

Naminkov said, "The project should continue in full scale, since otherwise we would have deviated from following the victims set goals."

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the second domestically produced passenger plane joined the aviation fleet from the production and assembly lines.

According to HESA announcement, its production capacity for `Iran-140' plane in the coming years stands at 12 per year.