RuAviation

The initial pessimistic forecast regarding the number of SSJ100 aircraft taken out of service, made in 2022 amidst intensifying sanctions pressure, has proven unfounded. This was stated by Vasily Prutkovsky, Managing Director of PJSC Yakovlev, in an interview with the “Rossiya” television channel.

According to the Deputy Director General, despite the challenging circumstances, there was no sense of panic. Airlines and the industry as a whole managed to adapt to the new environment, establish alternative supply chains and rapidly implement import substitution programs. Prutkovsky emphasised that the results of their work exceeded the most optimistic expectations: “I can now say that, contrary to the forecast we made in 2022, roughly in the spring of 2022, we thought that there would be fewer than 100 aircraft operational by this point; we now have 150 on the wing.”

This number of “Superjet 100” aircraft in operation not only demonstrates the successful overcoming of difficulties but also the effectiveness of the measures taken to maintain the SSJ100 fleet in serviceable condition. A key factor in this was the rapid development and introduction of domestic equivalents to imported components, which prevented the grounding of a large number of aircraft. Furthermore, programmes were implemented to optimise logistics and create reserve stocks of the most frequently required parts.

In parallel with maintaining the existing SSJ100 fleet, work is actively underway on the SJ-100 project – a version of the aircraft with maximum import substitution. Rostec had previously announced plans to launch serial production of the SJ-100 with Russian-made PD-8 engines in early 2026. UAC (United Aircraft Corporation) expects not only to meet domestic demand for modern passenger aircraft within a few years but also to create export potential.