Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev stated the region's need to renew its fleet of regional aircraft.
We need around 20 Il-114-300 aircraft in the Far East to replace the outdated An-24 and An-26; this will help preserve passenger traffic and, if necessary, increase it.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the retirement of outdated aircraft is having a negative impact both on passenger traffic volumes and on travel comfort. At the same time, he added that timely fleet renewal will make it possible not only to preserve existing routes, but also to create conditions for their expansion.
The Il-114-300 is a deeply modernized version of a domestic turboprop aircraft developed for operation in difficult climatic conditions. The new model is equipped with domestic TV7-117ST-01 engines and modern onboard equipment. The project is positioned as a strategic replacement not only for the An-24 and An-26, but also for imported counterparts in the regional transportation segment — the French ATR-72 and the Canadian Bombardier Dash 8. Particular importance is attached to the aircraft's ability to operate from unprepared and short runways, which is critically important for the infrastructure of the Russian Far East.
Serial production of the Il-114-300 has been launched at the Aviastar-SP aircraft plant in Ulyanovsk.