NEW DELHI: The booming regional air travel market in India has caught the attention of the Russians.
India and Russia are expanding their partnership to include civil aircraft, drawing on their extensive expertise in joint manufacturing of military aircraft, said a senior official of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), part of the State-owned Rostec State Corporation.
Speaking to TNIE on the sidelines of the Wings India 2026 event held at Begumpet airport last week, the official said, “Our focus is to establish a mutually beneficial Russian-Indian cooperation in civil aircraft manufacturing, drawing on our experience of cooperating with HAL and other hi-tech Indian companies. We are also ready to cooperate with Indian companies in the sphere of aircraft maintenance support.”
During the aviation meet, UAC for the first time showcased abroad its newest regional aircraft, Il-114-300, and the import-substituted Superjet-100. The IL-114-300 turboprop aircraft is designed to develop regional air travel.
“It has already sparked the interest of Indian airlines. This aircraft has a capacity of up to 68 passengers and is capable of being operated from relatively small airfields,” the official said.
The aircraft can operate from short runways, too.
SJ-100 is a new modification of Superjet 100, which is successfully operated in Russia. The regional jet with a capacity of 100 passengers was showcased at Hyderabad.
It is actively used on the routes where medium-haul aircraft are ineffective.
The Superjet 100 aircraft with an enhanced comfort passenger cabin, designed for VIP travel, was also on display.
“It is worth noting that both SJ-100 and Il-114-300 utilise Russian systems exclusively. They are protected against politically motivated trade restrictions imposed by other countries,” the official stressed.
Rostec said in a statement, “Our combat aircraft are traditionally in demand, but our civil aviation industry also has great potential. The country is implementing the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik – Let Ordinary Citizens Fly) program, which aims to make air travel more accessible and increase the number of regional airports."
This paves the way for the commercial success of the SJ-100 and Il-114-300 in the local market.
“Regional airlines have shown significant interest in UAC’s civil aircraft,” Rostec said in its statement.
The next step towards advancing the SJ-100 aircraft manufacturing program has been taken based on the MoU signed between UAC and HAL on October 27, the official added.