FLEET - Russia's Polar Airlines plans for three custom Il-114-300s

Polar Airlines (RKA, Yakutsk) is planning to expand its fleet with three modified Il-114-300s. Deputy flight director Semyon Semyonov said that manufacturer Ilyushin Design Bureau has promised to fit these aircraft with protective engine shields to prevent the intake of foreign object debris on unpaved runways in Russia’s Far East. Similar customisations were required for the airline's two DHC-8-Q300s, currently the airline's largest type. The first Il-114-300s are scheduled for delivery in 2026, although regular deliveries are only expected in 2028. Polar Airlines expects the design modifications to be finalised in 2026.

Full Story : Yakut-Sakha Information Agency (Russia) / Via CH-Aviation / Photo: Polar Airlines

AIRCRAFT - UAC for the first time to showcase the Il-114-300 and the import-substituted SJ 100 abroad

The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of the Rostec State Corporation will present its newest regional aircraft, the IL-114-300 and the import-substituted Superjet 100, for the first time abroad. The domestically produced aircraft will debut at the Wings India 2026 exhibition, which will be held from January 28 to 31 in Hyderabad.

The Superjet 100 will be displayed at the static display in a special livery featuring elements of the Indian national flag. The aircraft is built using serial technologies and is equipped with Russian systems and components, including PD-8 engines manufactured by the United Engine Corporation (UEC, part of Rostec State Corporation). As part of the import substitution program, the Superjet 100 was fitted with a Russian-made interior. The new serially produced cabin will be shown to the general public for the first time.

The Russian-made IL-114-300 turboprop aircraft will also be on display with its passenger interior installed. The aircraft is built using domestic components and is equipped with TV7-117ST-01 engines from the United Engine Corporation. The aircraft will participate in the exhibition's flight program.

"India is one of Russia's strategic partners: Rostec State Corporation has long and successful technological cooperation with its colleagues, including through the Make in India initiative. Our combat aircraft are traditionally in demand, but our civil aviation industry also has great potential. The country is implementing the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik – Let Ordinary Citizens Fly) program, which aims to make air travel more accessible and increase the number of regional airports. This paves the way for the commercial success of the SJ-100 and Il-114-300 in the local market," Rostec noted.

At the Wings India 2026 exhibition, advanced Russian civil aviation developments will be on display at the UAC stand. In addition, roundtable discussions are planned on all aspects of the development of the Indian aviation industry, with the participation of Corporation specialists. Regional airlines have shown significant interest in UAC civil aircraft, and during the exhibition, with the support of the Russian Trade Mission in India, demonstrations of the SJ-100 and IL-114-300 to Indian aviation industry specialists are planned.

The import-substituted Superjet 100 aircraft, presented at the exhibition, took to the skies on September 5, 2025. It became the first aircraft built using serial technologies in the target configuration planned for delivery to customers.

The IL-114-300 turboprop aircraft is designed to develop regional air travel. It can operate autonomously from small airfields, regardless of their infrastructure, as well as from short runways. The IL-114-300 is being certified for use in a wide range of climates – from Arctic latitudes and the harsh Siberian expanses to mountainous terrain and regions with tropical, subtropical, and hot climates.

Wings India 2026 is Asia's largest civil aviation event. The exhibition is jointly organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Government of India, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (FICCI).

Aurora Airlines launch customer for Il-114-300

At the MAKS2021 Air Show, Aurora Airlines signed a lease-agreement with lessor GTLK for nineteen Il-114-300s, making the airline the launch customer for the type. The airline will use the new Il-114s to replace its An-24s.

GTLK also signed an agreement with Vologda Aviation for three Il-114-300s. This company, specialised in aeromedical flights, currently operates a fleet of fifteen Mil helicopters and six Yak-40s.

The newest version of the Il-114 is able to carry up to 68 passengers and can operate from gravel and unpaved airfields. It flew for the first time on 16 December 2020.

Photo by Ilyushin.

The Ilyushin IL-114-300 first flight is postponed until late 2020

Ilyushin assesses the immediate market demand for the type at around 60 aircraft (PAO IL)

Ilyushin, which is part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), has revealed more details about the status of its IL-114-300 passenger turboprop programme, which it says is proceeding towards its first flight “in late 2020”.

The IL-114-300, which is an updated version of the original Ilyushin IL-114 that, in the Soviet Union era, were produced at an aircraft factory at Tashkent in the now independent Republic of Uzbekistan. The upgraded Russia-produced version will be powered by modern TV7-117ST-01 engines.

The company claims it has now signed several letters of intent for a total of 19 of the aircraft, Yury Grudinin, general director of Ilyushin Aviation Complex has revealed in an interview with Expert Business Weekly.

Moreover, Russia’ State Transport Leasing Corporation (GTLK), one of the government’s main tools for the financing of domestically-built aircraft, has expressed an interest in 50 Ilyushin IL-114-300s, saying it is “ready to lease these aircraft to airline customers starting 2025,” according to Grudinin, who assesses the immediate market demand for the type at around 60 aircraft.

“Besides,” he continues,“ Indian customers, namely HAL [Hindustan Aeronautics Limited] are really interested in the aircraft’s production. We are now elaborating different cooperation schemes, including the localisation of the production of aircraft parts in India. Domestic air travel between different states is developing quickly in India, so turboprops of such class will be in demand.”

Grudinin specifically points out that the IL-114-300’s fuel burn is 500 kilos per hour, which is less than that of its competitor the ATR-72 that offers a similar seating capacity. Along with that, the Russian aircraft provides a greater range – some 5,000 km, versus the ATR’s 3,600. Three passenger capacity options of 64, 52 and 50 seats, with an increased luggage compartment, are under development.

Serial production of the IL-114-300 involves four sites: Voronezh Aircraft Production Association, Aviastar-SP (Ulyanovsk), Sokol (Nizhny Novgorod) and RSK MiG’s Lukhovitsy facility (near Moscow). All of these sites are undergoing extensive upgrades with new equipment and final assembly is being set up at Lukhovitsy, which will be equipped with an automated assembly line.

The programme’s continuing delay has resulted in Krasnoyarsk-based regional airline KrasAvia, one of the IL-114-300’s potential customers, now considering the acquisition instead of three ATR-72-500 turboprops to replace its obsolete Antonov An-24 and An-26 types.

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Russia Proposes Setting Up Il-114-300 Airliner Production in India

Russia has made an offer on setting up the production of Ilyushin Il-114-300 regional airliners at India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facilities, Russian Deputy Trade Minister Alexander Potapov said Tuesday.

Earlier, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that Russia agreed to take part in the Make in India program during a meeting of the Russian-Indian working group on industrial cooperation.

"We have always talked about the feasibility and readiness to expand cooperation. This also applies to civil aviation. One such project could be the creation of an Indian regional aircraft. In accordance with a request from the Indian side, we sent our proposals on organizing the production of Il-114-300 aircraft at HAL facilities," Potapov said.

Russia's RT-Chemical technologies and composite materials company (JSC RT-Chemcomposite), part of the Rostec state corporation, is also looking into projects on setting up the production of aircraft glazing as well as polymer composite materials for civil aviation in India, he added.

Il-114-300 is a variant of the Ilyushin Il-114 regional airliner fitted with a Klimov TV7-117SM turboprop engine. The Il-114 was developed by Ilyushin Design Bureau in the late 1980s for short-haul flights within the Soviet Union. Since then, 20 planes of this type have been manufactured. Mass production of the plane is expected to start in Russia in 2019.
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