Indian carriers sign deal for over 80 Il-114-300 aircraft with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation

New Delhi: Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has signed agreements to supply 85 Il-114-300 regional turboprop aircraft to two Indian operators, marking one of the largest foreign orders yet for the Russian-made plane. The agreements were signed during the INNOPROM India exhibition ahead of the BRICS Summit, which will be attended by the Russian president Vladimir Putin.

According to UAC, the Il-114-300 is designed for regional connectivity and can operate independently from small or underdeveloped airfields and short runways. It is built from domestically produced components and powered by TV7-117ST-01 engines from Rostec’s United Engine Corporation. The aircraft received its type certificate in June 2026, and serial production is underway at UAC’s Lukhovitsy Aviation Plant.

Pinnacle Air signed a letter of intent for 50 aircraft, while Sleek Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding for 35 aircraft, along with plans to build a training centre at its facility equipped with a full-flight simulator.

Dmitry Lelikov, deputy CEO of Rostec State Corporation, said the Il-114-300 is built entirely in Russia, from its avionics down to its TV7-117ST-01 engines, and called it a modern, comfortable and reliable aircraft. He said its deployment on regional routes would support India’s UDAN scheme − the government programme aimed at expanding air connectivity to smaller cities by opening new regional airports. Lelikov added that beyond passenger service, the aircraft can also handle mail and cargo delivery, as well as medical and rescue missions.

Delivery schedules, maintenance terms, and any commitments around localizing specific components will be worked out in separate follow-on agreements with each customer.

UAC CEO Vadim Badekha framed the signings as the payoff from groundwork laid since the Il-114-300 was first showcased in India at the Wings of India exhibition in January. He said the interest shown by local operators at that event has now translated into formal agreements, with the first firm contracts expected before the end of the year.

Badekha further said UAC is ready to move toward a broader industrial partnership covering maintenance, personnel training, and eventual localization of Il-114-300 production in India.

The deals were signed during a session titled “Partnership Takes Flight: Towards Atmanirbhar Bharat through Regional Aviation Projects,” hosted by UAC, where Indian industry representatives, airline officials and aviation authorities were also briefed on UAC’s broader plans for production localization and after-sales support in the country.

For the last 9-10 months, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) have been finalizing a production localization agreement for licenced production of the SJ-100 regional jet in India.

Oleg Bogomolov, director for Civil Aviation Program Management at UAC said that the two countries are expected to conclude a specific licence agreement for the supply of the aircraft by the end of this year. India will likely go in for 300 such aircraft that have a seating capacity of 103 passengers.

The two countries, according to Bogomolov, are adopting a roadmap that will pave the way for step-by-step indigenization starting from scratch.