Russia's New Ilyushin Il-114-300 Aircraft Certified to Fly in Perfect Weather Only

The type certificate issued by Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) in June for the new Il-114-300 aircraft includes significant operational restrictions, Vedomosti reports, citing the certification document.

Unlike its predecessor, the Il-114-100, which was developed in the 1980s and certified to operate in temperatures ranging from -30°C to +45°C, the new Il-114-300 is currently approved to fly only within a temperature range of -9°C to +25°C.

In addition, the aircraft is not certified to operate during thunderstorms, in icing conditions, or on wet or contaminated runways.

Daniil Brenerman, Managing Director of JSC Il, told the newspaper that testing of the aircraft continues even after the issuance of the basic type certificate, meaning the Il-114-300's certified performance characteristics may improve over time.

He did not specify when the aircraft is expected to receive the additional approvals required for full commercial operation.

Certification Work Continues as Development Moves Forward

Development of the Il-114-300, which is intended to replace the aging An-24 and An-26 aircraft, as well as the French ATR-72 and the Canadian Bombardier Dash 8 on regional routes, has been underway since the mid-2010s.

The project is essentially a deep modernization of the earlier Il-114 model, featuring domestically produced engines and propellers replacing imported components.

Alexei Sukharev, Deputy Director General of the Intersectoral Analytical Center, suggested that certification for operations in thunderstorms and icing conditions could be obtained within the next few months.

He added that the remaining operational restrictions may take considerably longer to remove.

Commercial Deliveries Still Planned for 2028

The aircraft's developer and manufacturer previously planned to complete all remaining development work by 2028.

That is also the timeframe in which the main customer in Russia's Far East, Aurora Airlines, expects to begin receiving deliveries.

The first aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to the 2nd Arkhangelsk United Aviation Squadron, which specializes in regional passenger services and complex aviation operations in the Arctic.

It remains unclear how extensively the operator plans to use the Il-114-300, although its current fleet schedule includes only helicopter services and An-2 aircraft, which belong to a completely different category and cannot be directly replaced by the new regional airliner.

Earlier, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov stated that the Il-114-300's flight performance surpasses that of all comparable Western aircraft.