NEW DELHI: Adding another important chapter to the bilateral ties, India and Russia have decided to produce a passenger aircraft in India.
The HAL on Tuesday informed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Moscow, Russia, on October 27, 2025, between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) for the production of civil commuter aircraft Superjet (SJ)-100.
The HAL said the step marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian aviation industry: “The manufacturing of the SJ-100 aircraft will also be the first instance wherein a complete passenger aircraft will be produced in India.”
The last such project was HAL’s production of AVRO HS-748, which started in 1961 and ended in 1988.
SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft. As of date, more than 200 aircraft have been produced and are being operated by more than 16 commercial airline operators.
SJ-100 will be the game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme in India. Under this arrangement, HAL will have the right to manufacture SJ-100 aircraft for domestic customers.
Prabhat Ranjan, HAL and Mr Oleg Bogomolov, PJSC UAC, Russia, signed the MoU in the presence of Dr DK Sunil, CMD, HAL & Mr Vadim Badekha, Director General, PJSC UAC.
HAL is India’s Public Sector aerospace and defence company.
PJSC-UAC is a state-owned corporation manufacturing famous aircraft like the Sukhoi, MiG and IL, among others.
The Maiden flight of the aircraft took place in 2008 and has already been inducted in significant numbers.
As per the estimates of the HAL, “Over the next ten years, the Indian aviation sector will require over 200 jets in this category for regional connectivity and an additional 350 aircraft for the Indian Ocean region to serve nearby international tourist destinations.”
It’s a step towards fulfilling the dream of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in the civil aviation sector. Manufacturing will also strengthen the private sector and create direct and indirect jobs in the aviation industry.
