The domestic regional turboprop aircraft Il-114-300 has an advantage over other new aircraft in that it was already at a high degree of readiness at the time of the adjustment of the Comprehensive Program for the Development of the Civil Aviation Industry (KPGА) after the shift towards import substitution. This was stated by Fedor Borisov, Chief Expert of the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics.
The aviation expert emphasized that the main advantage of the Il-114-300 is precisely that it already exists in fact.
By the time the program was being adjusted, it was at a high degree of readiness. Since the shortage of aircraft needs to be covered quite quickly, this played in its favor.
Borisov added that the capacity of the Il-114-300 will play an important role in a number of directions, especially in the European part of Russia.
In this sense, a parallel can be drawn with the Bombardier Q400, which also carries many passengers, although it is a turboprop.
The Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, announced on April 2 that the Il-114-300 has fully completed flight tests. Now, a decision on issuing a type certificate is expected from Rosaviatsiya, and it is unknown how long it will take to adopt it.
The Head of the Ministry of Transport, Andrey Nikitin, admitted that the process could be extended until the end of 2026. What exactly is the problem with such vague deadlines, the head of the department did not explain.