Yakutia expects to replace the An-24 with the Il-114-300, but the situation with the An-2 replacement is more complicated. For the Il-114-300, the problem of operation on unpaved airfields remains, and the LMS-901 "Baikal", which was supposed to be the successor to the An-2, was called too expensive by the head of the region, Aisen Nikolaev.
According to Nikolaev, the problem with the "Baikal" is not only related to its price. The aircraft still has a critically high proportion of imported components, which complicates the organization of its mass deliveries. The Russian government is considering various options, including a possible modernization of the An-2. At the same time, the Il-114-300 has already undergone testing in Yakutia, but it still has an important limitation.
There is a problem that aviation enterprises must solve. This is the ability of this aircraft to land on unpaved airfields. Today, it only lands on concrete. In our republic, not all airfields have concrete runways.
Given the postponement of serial deliveries of domestic airliners to 2028, the regional authorities are considering various options to support local air transportation. In May 2026, the republic began negotiations with China on the purchase or lease of turboprop Y-7s to maintain communication with hard-to-reach settlements.
Read more on the topic:
- An-2 Needed by Russia: Yakutia is Larger Than India, and There Are No Roads There
- Yakutia wanted to replace Il-114-300 with Chinese copies of An-24
- "Yakutia" Suspends Domestic Flights Amidst IL-114-300 Anticipation