The Russian aircraft industry faces the task of not only covering the main segment of medium-haul airliners but also several niches in regional aviation. This conclusion was reached by aviation blogger SkyExpert, who analyzed the needs of domestic carriers by passenger capacity and compared them with existing and prospective Russian aircraft.
According to the author, the SJ-100 covers the lower part of the regional jet segment, while its declared maximum capacity is 103 passengers, and the MC-21 is intended to cover the main segment of larger capacity medium-haul aircraft. However, below this boundary, problems remain: the Il-114 has to be considered as a replacement for the An-24/26, ATR, and Dash 8 simultaneously, although, in SkyExpert's opinion, for some routes, it turns out to be too large or too slow. At the same time, there is still demand for aircraft with a capacity of about 40–50 and 50–60 passengers.
The niche for a light regional turboprop aircraft, capable of operating on unpaved airfields and serving small passenger flows, looks particularly prominent. The TVRS-44 "Ladoga" project was precisely aimed at this class, but recently it became known about the de facto abandonment of its further development in favor of the more mature Il-114-300. At the same time, the Il-114 itself already raises questions regarding its operational economics.
Another potentially uncovered niche is an aircraft for approximately 50–60 seats with a higher speed than turboprop aircraft. According to SkyExpert, it could operate on routes between large regional centers where passenger traffic is insufficient for a full-fledged "Superjet".
Our carriers need an aircraft that would have access to unpaved runways, a ramp, and a capacity of 40-50 passengers, ideally an economical turboprop. Is this all? No. We have many small but long routes where a small but fast aircraft is needed. In the Soviet Union, there was the Tu-134 with 68 seats. A regional jet for 50-60 seats is needed for flights to Nadym from Tyumen, to Naryan-Mar from Kirov, to Kogalym from Perm, to Samara from Novy Urengoy, to Salekhard from Ufa. There is a solvent audience there, but the load factor does not reach that of a "Superjet". And it is really worth considering occupying this niche. The Il-114 was originally conceived for such flights. But they want to cover all niches with it.
In the higher capacity range, he considers the shortened MC-21-210 a promising solution, which, according to previously announced estimates, will be able to carry about 160–170 passengers.
At the same time, the author assesses the need for aircraft with a capacity of over 200 seats much more cautiously: such aircraft are primarily required for the busiest domestic and international routes.
The Il-114-300 is designed for 64 passengers in its basic configuration and up to 68 in its maximum configuration. OAK positions it as a regional aircraft to replace the An-24 and foreign aircraft of a similar class; its declared cruising speed is 450 km/h.