KIEV, Aug. 13 - A contract to supply five Antonov AN-140 regional aircraft to a private Libyan company was suspended after the company had run into financial difficulties, an official at the Ukrainian aircraft maker said Saturday.

The Kharkiv-based aircraft manufacturer asked the Libyan government to step in and help the company pay for the planes, Pavlo Naumenko, the head of the Kharkiv aircraft maker, said.