Indian aircraft manufacturer to get production rights for Superjet 100

:: HAL

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is set to resume production of commercial aircraft for the first time since 1988, when it halted assembly of the British Avro 748 passenger turboprop.

On October 28, HAL signed a letter of intent with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), granting it the right to manufacture the 100-seat Superjet regional aircraft for Indian customers.

HAL stated that the aircraft “will be a game-changer for regional connectivity under India’s UDAN scheme.” Launched in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the UDAN program aims to improve regional air travel by developing nearly 500 local airports across the country.

According to HAL’s own forecast, India’s domestic market will require over 200 Superjet 100‑class aircraft over the next decade. An additional 350 jets of this type are expected to serve international tourist destinations across the Indian Ocean region.

The Russian aircraft manufacturer did not comment on the agreement with HAL. In 2023, then‑UAC CEO Yury Slyusar announced at the Aero India show in Bengaluru plans to offer India a baseline version of the Superjet 100 certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). UAC itself has been unable to produce the model since 2022, when international sanctions cut off supplies of foreign aviation components to Russia. That same year, EASA revoked all type certificates for Russian‑made aircraft.

HAL is likely to produce the latest, import-substituted version of the Superjet 100, known as the SJ‑100—a designation referenced in the Indian firm’s release. The company may gradually localize production of the SJ‑100 in India, much as it has done with the Russian Su‑30MKI fighter jets, which it has been manufacturing since the 2000s.

The Russified SJ‑100 is currently undergoing certification tests. In late October, Sergey Chemezov, head of Rostec—UAC’s parent corporation—stated that certification of the fully Russian Superjet is expected to be completed in early 2026.