Russia is preparing to move forward with several aircraft agreements involving Indian aviation companies, with proposed deals covering up to 105 regional passenger aircraft as Moscow seeks to strengthen its aviation footprint in India ahead of the BRICS summit.
United Aircraft Corporation’s IL-114-300 regional passenger aircraft has become a major focus of the expanding aviation partnership between India and Russia.
UAC CEO Vadim Badekha said negotiations with Indian partners have advanced considerably over the past six months, with several agreements expected to be finalised during the Innoprom India exhibition in New Delhi.
The proposed arrangements include 50 IL-114-300 aircraft for Pinnacle Air, as many as 20 aircraft for Air Kerala and another 35 aircraft under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sleek Aviation.
These developments come after UAC signed a preliminary agreement with Indian firm Flamingo Aerospace in January for the possible supply of six IL-114-300 aircraft. The agreement was signed during the Wings India aviation exhibition in Hyderabad.
Russia is also exploring India as a possible location for expanding aircraft production. UAC said talks on manufacturing the SJ-100 regional jet locally in India are around 80 per cent complete, with an agreement expected to be finalised shortly.
Earlier this year, UAC and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an agreement concerning the joint licensed production of the SJ-100 in India.
The expanding aviation partnership comes as Russia looks to broaden industrial cooperation with India beyond its traditional defence relationship. The proposed aircraft agreements could mark a wider India-Russia aerospace partnership covering civil aviation, regional connectivity and aircraft manufacturing.
Innoprom India, being held in New Delhi from September 9 to 11 ahead of the BRICS summit, has brought together more than 120 Russian and Indian companies.
