India Forges Major Civil Aviation Partnership with Russia
(MENAFN) India’s state-backed Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered a major civil aviation partnership with Russia’s PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to manufacture Superjet SJ-100 aircraft locally, the companies announced.
The memorandum of understanding was signed in Moscow on Tuesday, marking a milestone in India’s push to produce its first domestically manufactured passenger plane.
The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body regional aircraft already in service, with over 200 units operated by 16 airlines globally. Under the agreement, HAL will gain the rights to produce the aircraft in India for domestic customers.
“The model is expected to play a key role in boosting regional air connectivity under the Centre’s UDAN scheme,” a HAL statement said, referencing India’s regional development initiative.
HAL emphasized that “mutual trust” between the two companies enabled the new civil aviation collaboration. “The last such project was the production of AVRO HS-748, which started in 1961 and ended in 1988,” the company added.
Local production of the SJ-100 is also aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ program, which aims to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities, HAL noted.
India’s civil aviation sector faces a projected requirement of over 200 regional jets in the next decade, alongside an additional 350 aircraft to serve international routes across the Indian Ocean region, according to HAL.
PJSC UAC produces both civil and military aircraft, while HAL has decades of experience manufacturing Russian fighter jets, helicopters, jet engines, avionics, and spare parts.
The MoU was signed by Prabhat Ranjan from HAL and Oleg Bogomolov of PJSC-UAC, in the presence of HAL CMD DK Sunil and UAC DG Vadim Badekha.
Bilateral trade between India and Russia hit a record $66 billion in 2024, spanning sectors such as aviation and railways, with both nations aiming to reach $100 billion by 2030.
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