New Delhi: Russia is looking beyond the defence sector and wants to tap into India’s rapidly expanding civil aviation market, with its state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) pitching a range of Russian passenger aircraft for regional connectivity.
It is also offering localisation of production and MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facilities in the country.UAC, the umbrella organisation for Russia’s major aircraft manufacturers like the Sukhoi, MiG, Ilyushin, Tupolev among others is showcasing three of its latest commercial aircraft at the first-ever ‘Innoprom.India’ exhibition in New Delhi.
The aircraft being showcased are the IL-114-300 turboprop, SJ-100 short-range jet and MC-21 medium-range airliner.The exhibition is being held from 9 to 11 September at the Bharat Mandapam, coinciding with the BRICS Leaders’ Summit. Innoprom began in 2010 in Ekaterinburg as a business-to-business industrial exhibition and is being held in India for the first time.The Russian pitch comes as India seeks to expand regional air connectivity.Under the Modified UDAN Scheme approved in March, the government plans to develop 100 airports from existing unserved airstrips to enhance regional connectivity, in line with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision of infrastructure expansion and transforming India into a globally competitive aviation ecosystem with a total outlay of Rs.12,159 crore over the next eight years.UAC is seeking to position its aircraft across different segments of this emerging market.The company says the IL-114-300 could be used to connect smaller cities and towns under the UDAN programme, particularly from airports with limited infrastructure. The SJ-100, a short-range narrow-body jet capable of carrying up to 103 passengers, is being positioned for routes linking major cities with regional centres and smaller towns. The larger MC-21 is intended for higher-demand domestic routes, the UAC said in a statement.Russia has been trying to rebuild its commercial aviation industry around domestically produced aircraft with its own components after the post-2022 disruption of access to Western aerospace technology and supply chains.As part of the Innoprom business programme, UAC is organising a session titled ‘Partnership Takes Flight: Towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat through Regional Aviation Projects’, where it plans to present its proposals for using Russian aircraft in India’s regional aviation network.The company is also pitching localisation rather than merely aircraft sales.SJ-100 and HAL partnership
