Russia Targets India's Regional Aviation Market with Local Manufacturing Push

The move signals Moscow's intent to tap into India's fast-growing regional aviation market through long-term industrial partnerships rather than a simple aircraft sales push, according to The Sunday Guardian report.

So far, India's aviation growth has largely been driven by massive aircraft orders placed by Indian airlines with Airbus and Boeing.

However, beyond these headline deals lies a fast-expanding regional aviation segment that connects tier-two and tier-three cities.

Supported by airport expansion and the government's UDAN connectivity scheme, this segment carries an estimated 18 to 36 million passengers every year and represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity across aircraft purchases, leasing, maintenance, training and operations.

Russia is now aiming squarely at this market. Given the long-standing defence and industrial ties between India and Russia, experts believe New Delhi could be open to allowing Russian manufacturers to set up local production and assembly lines under the "Make in India" programme.

The IL-114-300 is a 68-seat turboprop aircraft designed for short runways and challenging operating conditions.

It is positioned as a competitor to aircraft such as the ATR 72-600 and the Dash-8 Q400, which currently dominate India's regional routes.

Industry estimates suggest the aircraft could be priced between $20 million and $35 million once mass production stabilises, broadly in line with existing turboprop options.

The Superjet SJ-100, which can seat around 87 to 98 passengers, targets the higher end of the regional jet market.

It competes with smaller aircraft from Embraer's E-Jet family and is expected to be priced in the $30 million to $36 million range.

While the pricing of both Russian aircraft is not significantly lower than Western alternatives, their real appeal lies in the industrial opportunities they offer.

Russian manufacturers are pitching the aircraft along with proposals for local manufacturing, assembly and sourcing in India.

Industry experts say this shifts the decision from being a pure import choice to a broader industrial one.

Aircraft manufacturing and long-term support create high-skilled jobs in engineering, precision manufacturing, avionics and maintenance, and help build supplier ecosystems that can last for decades.

Maintenance, repair and overhaul is expected to be a major focus area if Russian civil aircraft enter the Indian market.

Most of an aircraft's economic value is generated after delivery through spares, upgrades, training and engine overhauls over its 25 to 30-year operational life.

- IANS