Air TransportHAL and UAC Sign MoU for SJ-100 Regional Jet Production in India
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Moscow for the production of the SJ-100 regional jet in India on October 28.
The agreement is intended to establish local assembly of the SJ-100, a version tailored to operate independently of Western suppliers. This development supports the Indian government’s regional connectivity program, UDAN, which aims to expand air service to underserved areas.
The SJ-100 is a Russified variant of the SuperJet, an aircraft developed by Sukhoi in partnership with Western companies.
However, the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the large-scale Russian military invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to economic sanctions against the program, which ultimately stifled it.
UAC has since sought to replace Western components with Western equivalents, taking advantage of domestic demand since Russian airlines are prohibited from receiving Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer jets.
Only a dozen of Embraer jets
The SJ-100, which is undergoing certification in Russia, currently has 71 firm orders from local carriers.
India has not produced a civil passenger aircraft since 1988, when production of the AVRO HS-748 ended. The MoU represents the first such initiative in the country in nearly four decades.
HAL estimates demand for over 200 regional jets in India over the next ten years. The current fleet of regional jets in the country stands at 12, mainly operated by Star Air with Embraer aircraft.
In India, the segment for regional jets with up to 100 seats remains limited compared to the larger narrowbody category.
Embraer has also pursued opportunities to market its E2 regional jets in India, including prospects for local manufacturing, but no agreements have been finalized to date.
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