The Il-114-300 has already received certification, but potential buyers are deterred by the aircraft's low-mounted turboprop engines. Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of Aviaport agency, said that this problem has finally been solved.
According to him, the developer proposed sufficiently simple and effective solutions.
We are talking about shields that have a relatively small mass and have a very moderate effect on aerodynamics. So there is no need to talk about a significant increase in weight or fuel consumption. But it may be possible to expand the list of runways from which flights can be made.
Panteleev emphasized that the implementation of these measures will not allow for a widespread replacement of passenger An-24, An-26, and Yak-40 aircraft, but foreign models — ATR-42, ATR-72, and Dash-8 — can be replaced quite possibly.
Some airlines openly question the efficiency of the Il-114-300 on unpaved surfaces due to the too low position of the TV7-117ST-01 turboprop engines.
It is known that at least 40 Il-114-300s will be delivered to Aurora, KrasAvia, and IrAero airlines.
"Perviy Tekhnicheskiy" compared the Il-114-300 with the An-24 and found that the new model is in some ways inferior to the aircraft launched for flights back in the 70s of the last century.