India and Russia today held talks on joint production of civil passenger planes, and potential deliveries and arrangements for 105 regional turboprop aircraft to Indian operators. India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu held discussions with Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov on joint manufacturing of civil passenger aircraft to meet country’s demand for regional air connectivity, in New Delhi. Discussions and proposed deals also cover potential deliveries and arrangements for 105 regional turboprop aircraft to Indian operators, including Pinnacle Air, Air Kerala, and Sleek Aviation.
Russia also displayed its regional SJ-100, MC-21, and Il-114-300 aircraft at the Innoprom event in New Delhi to target India’s expanding regional connectivity needs. Public sector aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) previously signed an initial agreement for the licensed joint production and support of the Superjet (SJ-100) civil commuter aircraft in India. Talking to the media, Mr Naidu said that he had a discussion with the delegation regarding the progress of MoU that HAL had with Russia in terms of manufacturing a plane in the country.
Regarding the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) draft on pilot testing, the Minister said that Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is having discussions with different stakeholders and according to the discussions new guidelines on the pilot testing will be finalized by the end of this month.
In a social media post, Mr Naidu said that with the immense potential of regional connectivity, there is a strong opportunity for India and Russia to take bilateral relationship from buyer-seller to joint manufacturing and deeper industrial cooperation. He said that India-Russia ties continue to grow, with aviation emerging as a key pillar of the strategic partnership.
The growing aviation engagement comes as Russia seeks to deepen industrial cooperation with India beyond traditional defence platforms such as the MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets. The proposed aircraft deals indicate a possible expansion of India-Russia aerospace ties into civil aviation, regional connectivity and aircraft manufacturing.
The two-day ‘Innoprom India’, began yesterday in New Delhi ahead of the BRICS summit, has brought together more than 120 Russian and Indian companies.
