Regional turboprop aircraft remain the backbone of short routes due to low fuel consumption and the ability to operate from small airfields. The ATR 42/72 family has dominated this segment for decades.
The Il-114-300 enters the market with a different objective — not to compete on economics, but to cover challenging operating conditions. "Perviy Tekhnicheskiy" compared the two aircraft by key parameters.
Efficiency
In terms of fuel consumption, the ATR 72 remains the benchmark — about 10–12 g/pass-km.
The Il-114-300 lags behind: around 12–14 g/pass-km, and actual figures are yet to be confirmed in operation. We record a victory for ATR.
Capacity
The ATR 72 carries up to ~70–78 passengers, thereby ensuring the lowest cost per seat.
The Il-114-300 carries about 64–68 passengers, remaining closer to a smaller class with comparable dimensions, which directly impacts flight economics. Therefore, the point here again goes to ATR.
Range
The ATR 72 performs flights up to approximately 1400–1500 km with a full load. The Il-114-300 shows comparable values under the same conditions.
There is practically no difference in commercial operation — the indicators depend on configuration and load. It's a draw here.
Operating Conditions
The Il-114-300 is initially designed for harsh conditions — unpaved runways, cold climates, and weak infrastructure.
The ATR 72 is limited in such scenarios due to the low placement of engines and requirements for runway quality, and therefore loses.
Platform Maturity
ATR means thousands of aircraft in operation, predictable economics, and a developed service network. The Il-114-300 is just entering series production, and its main uncertainty factor is the TV7-117 engine.
Until it confirms stable operation in real conditions, it is premature to talk about full readiness for harsh conditions. Therefore, we give the victory to ATR.
Score 3:1 in favor of ATR.
ATR remains the leader in economics and predictability. The Il-114-300 offers something different — the ability to fly where infrastructure is limited. Therefore, while ATR optimizes profit, the Il-114 ensures flight accessibility in challenging regions.
