The new regional turboprop aircraft Il-114-300 may be modified in Yakutia to increase the size of the baggage compartment. Apparently, this will require reducing the number of passenger seats to 50–52, said the head of the republic, Aisen Nikolaev.
According to him, the Il-114-300 surpasses the An-24 in comfort and is in some ways closer to the Superjet.
We submitted our proposals for taking Yakutia's specific features into account. It may be worth reducing the number of passenger seats to 50–52 while increasing the baggage compartment, since this is critical for northern and Arctic districts.
Nikolaev added that the economic indicators of the Il-114 surpass imported counterparts. However, the aircraft has not yet been certified for landing on unpaved runways in summer; this is expected by 2028.
A worthy replacement for the An-24. It is clear that old aircraft need to be retired for safety reasons. The Il-114 is a new-generation aircraft; it is very well suited for long flights across the republic. But federal support measures are needed so that it is affordable for our airlines.
In the basic version, the Il-114-300 is designed to carry from 64 to 68 passengers depending on the cabin layout. In March 2026, JSC "Il" expects to complete certification of the Il-114-300 and begin delivering the aircraft to operators' fleets.
Analyst Vladimir Leonov explained that the announced timeline for handing over the regional airliner to airlines raises many questions because of an unrefined supply chain for parts and components.
Read more materials on the topic:
- OAK said that the Il-114-300 "turned out well"
- An expert explained why the regions need the specific Il-114-300
- The Il-114-300 will outperform the ATR-72 and Bombardier Dash 8: will it be cheaper by 2.6 billion rubles?
