RuAviation

A meeting was held in Ekaterinburg at the Innoprom exhibition to discuss future approaches to commercial operation of the Il-114-300 regional turboprop aircraft, Rosaviatsia said.

The machine is now at the stage of certification tests and plans to enter the Russian domestic market in the coming years. According to the comprehensive programme for the development of Russia’s aviation industry, deliveries of the aircraft to customers should begin in 2026, and UAC plans to put 51 aircraft of this type into service by 2030.

Red Wings Airlines may become the launch operator of the IL-114-300. The carrier’s commercial director, Alexander Krutov, told a meeting in Yekaterinburg that the Omsk airport is seen as a promising base for the new aircraft. The route network for the new machine may include Nizhnevartovsk, Novokuznetsk and Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

The choice of Omsk is explained by the presence in the city of the Omsk Engine Building Association named after P.I. Baranov (OMO), involved in the production of engines TV7-117ST-01 for IL-114-300. In the case of basing at the Omsk airport, the possibility of creating an engine service centre for these aircraft at the ODK enterprise is being discussed.

Support for the project to base the IL-114-300 in Omsk is being discussed at the level of the regional government. The amount of potential support may vary from discounts on airport services for Red Wings to direct participation in infrastructure projects.

Dmitry Yadrov, Head of Rosaviatsia, summarising the results of the meeting, stressed the importance of timely commissioning of the IL-114-300. He noted that the modern and comfortable aircraft is highly demanded to fulfil the tasks set by the country’s leadership. These tasks include increasing the aviation mobility of citizens and increasing the intensity of air traffic in Russia by 1.5 times by 2030, while ensuring a high level of flight safety.

The IL-114-300 project is a strategic project for the Russian aviation industry. The An-24 turboprop aircraft, which it is replacing, was discontinued at the Kiev Aircraft Plant in 1979, long before the collapse of the USSR. The IL-114 itself was built for some time at the Tashkent Chkalov Aviation Production Association (TAPOiCh, plant No. 84). And thus, in the territory of modern Russia turboprop domestic passenger aircraft have not been produced for more than 50 years – since the end of IL-18 production in the late 60s.

The dialogue at Innoprom demonstrates the readiness of all parties: both officials and operators for active cooperation. The launch of IL-114-300 aircraft on regional routes will not only improve transport accessibility of remote areas, but also increase the share of domestic aircraft in the fleets of Russian carriers.