A new chapter is set to be added to the 'Make in India' campaign in India's Civil Aviation Sector. Russia's SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft, or passenger planes, will now be manufactured in India as well. For this, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). With this agreement, India will not only be able to meet its domestic aircraft requirements but also establish a strong presence in the Asian aircraft market.
This agreement could prove to be a game-changer for the UDAN scheme, which aims to provide air connectivity to smaller cities. The agreement was signed on Tuesday in Moscow by HAL's Prabhat Ranjan and UAC's Oleg Bogomolov. Experts estimate the cost of the SJ-100 to be around ₹170 to ₹200 crore per unit. It is noteworthy that the last passenger aircraft manufacturing project in India before this was the Avro HS-748, which started in 1961 and was discontinued in 1988. Currently, India imports about 90% of its aircraft.
According to HAL, the SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft. More than 200 units of this aircraft have been manufactured to date. It is used by more than 16 commercial airlines. HAL stated that the SJ-100 aircraft will prove extremely useful under India's UDAN scheme. This aircraft can carry between 75 to 100 passengers and is designed for journeys of up to 500 kilometres. Following this agreement, HAL will acquire the rights to manufacture this aircraft.
