Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. plans to manufacture Russia’s SJ-100 aircraft in India to boost short-haul flights in the world’s fastest growing civil aviation market of its size.
The Indian company has signed an agreement with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. PJSC to manufacture the commuter aircraft from the ground-up—a first for the local civil-aviation industry, according to an exchange filing Tuesday. The last time India built a complete passenger aircraft was the AVRO HS-748 between 1961 and 1988. That too was an HAL project.
“The manufacturing of the SJ-100 aircraft marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian aviation industry,” HAL said in the filing. “It’s a step towards fulfilling the dream of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in the civil aviation sector.”
What is the SJ-100?
The SJ-100 is a twin-cylinder, narrow-body aircraft for short-haul flights. At present, nearly 200 SJ-100s are flying for 16 airline operators globally. HAL sees the aircraft as a “game-changer” for India’s UDAN scheme for regional flight connectivity. The local manufacturing will also create direct and indirect jobs in the aviation industry.
According to HAL, India’s aviation sector needs more than 200 short-haul flights for regional aviation and an additional 350 to serve tourist destinations in the Indian Ocean.
Aircraft manufacturing in India
While the SJ-100 is set to become the the first commuter aircraft to be build from the ground-up in India, the country has a well-entreched aircraft manufacturing industry.
- HAL makes the light combat aircraft Tejas Mark 1A fighter jet designed by India’s Aeronautical Development Agency, as well as the Dhruv helicopter and basic trainer aircraft.
- Tata Advanced Systems Ltd., in partnership with Airbus Co., is setting up a final-assembly line in Vadodara for the Airbus C-295 medium transport aircraft.
- Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. also has a joint venture with Boeing Co. — Tata Boeing Aerospace Ltd. — to manufacture fuselages and aerostructures for the Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter in India.
- Mahindra Aerospace is involved in aerostructure manufacturing and parts for helicopters and aircraft in India.
Separately, other global OEMs have component manufacturing facilities in India as part of their supply chains.
SJ-100, SJ-100 aircraft, Hindustan Aeronautics, UDAN Scheme, regional aviation, United Aircraft Corp, India Russia business ties