Russian aircraft giant to supply Ilyushin planes in India

Russian aviation giant United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has signed a deal to supply six Ilyushin aircraft to an Indian firm.

An agreement to supply the Il-114-300 aircraft was finalized between UAC and India’s Flamingo Aerospace during the Wings India 2026 International Aviation Exhibition at the southern Indian city of Hyderabad on Wednesday.

“The cooperation program is aimed at meeting India’s growing regional aviation needs,” UAC said in a statement. “The delivery of six IL-114-300 aircraft will be the first stage.”

As part of the agreement, UAC will provide Flamingo with “a roadmap for the development of aviation competencies.”

The Russian company will provide assistance to Flamingo to gradually increase the capabilities of aircraft assembly, modification, maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as infrastructure development.

This is the second major deal for UAC during the Wings India exhibition. Earlier on Wednesday, India’s state-backed Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) entered into a joint venture with the Russian aviation giant to manufacture Sukhoi SJ-100 superjets.

Under the agreement, HAL gets the rights to manufacture the SJ-100 aircraft in India for domestic use.

“Our traditional cooperation in defense is well known, but now we venture into a civil segment, which is very significant,” Denis Alipov told RT India on Wednesday.

Alipov added, “The [Indian] domestic market for regional air travel is huge, and Russia and our manufacturers are very keen to collaborate with Indian partners and to come up with indigenous products.”

India needs over 200 civil jets within the next decade to cater to regional demand, and an additional 350 aircraft to serve international destinations in the Indian Ocean region.