On the sidelines of the BRICS summit at New Delhi, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation) has signed agreements with local airlines to supply Il-114-300 regional turboprop aircraft during the INNOPROM India international exhibition. A total of 85 aircraft are slated for delivery. The documents were signed during a special session titled “Partnership Takes Flight: Towards Atmanirbhar Bharat through Regional Aviation Projects,” organized by UAC. A, a letter of intent was signed for the delivery of 50 aircraft to Pinnacle Air. A memorandum of understanding was also signed with Sleek Aviation, covering the delivery of 35 aircraft and the establishment of a training center—equipped with a full-flight simulator—at the operator’s facility.
“The Il-114-300 is an entirely Russian-made aircraft; everything from its avionics to its TV7-117ST-01 engines is produced at our own facilities. It is a modern, comfortable, and reliable aircraft. It comes as no surprise that there is interest in it both within Russia and abroad. Deploying the Il-114-300 on local routes will support the national UDAN program (*Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik*), which aims to make air travel more accessible and involves opening new regional airports across India. In addition to passenger transport, the aircraft can be used for mail and cargo delivery, as well as medical and rescue operations,” noted Dmitry Lelikov, Deputy CEO of Rostec State Corporation.
Aircraft delivery schedules, maintenance terms, and obligations regarding the localization of specific Il-114-300 components are set to be formalized in separate agreements with customers.
“Today’s signings are the result of extensive work that began following the presentation of the Il-114-300 aircraft at the ‘Wings of India’ exhibition this January. We observed significant interest in the aircraft from local operators, and today that interest has been solidified through agreements. We plan to sign the first firm contracts before the end of this year. As our cooperation evolves, we are prepared to take the next steps and transition to an industrial partnership model covering service, maintenance, personnel training, and even the localization of Il-114-300 production in India,” emphasized Vadim Badekha, CEO of UAC (United Aircraft Corporation).
Representatives from Indian industry, airlines, and aviation authorities were also presented with a concept for utilizing Russian aircraft to expand air travel in India, highlighting UAC’s capabilities regarding production localization and after-sales support for the aircraft and their components.
The Russian Il-114-300 turboprop aircraft is designed to develop regional air connectivity. It is capable of autonomous operation from small airfields—regardless of existing infrastructure—as well as from short runways. The aircraft is built using domestically produced components and is powered by TV7-117ST-01 engines manufactured by Rostec’s United Engine Corporation. The aircraft received its type certificate in June 2026, and serial production is currently underway at UAC’s Lukhovitsy Aviation Plant.
HAL and UAC are in talks for local production with HAL estimates showing a need for up to 300 planes in the next decade in India. The work localisation will process as below,
Phase 0: Customisation for the airline needs
Phase 1: Local assembly with SKD
Phase 2: Indianization process starts
The announcement comes within days of regional carrier Fly91 signing up for 40 ATR 72-600 aircraft. With the Q400 no more in production, the comparison between the two looks as below.
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The IL 114-300 is certified in June this year, in Russia. A wider certification challenge remains but one would assume that it gets done before one of the Indian operators decide to proceed with a firm order, converting the LoI and MoUs to actual firm orders. The costing of the aircraft and operational parameters remain a mystery at the moment but the aircraft is likely to be much cheaper than the western counterparts with possibility of a lower lifetime cost helping tide over the operational hiccups of a new type being inducted.
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