Russian aerospace company United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) unveiled that its re-engined and refurbished Ilyushin 114 has successfully taken off for its first flight from Moscow’s Zhukovsky Airport.
The Il-114-300 is a new version of the 64-seater Il-114 which first flew in 1990. It features new engines from Canada’s Pratt & Whitney, a new cabin design, new avionics and flight instruments. While its predecessor was extremely unpopular with commercial airlines, a total of six aircraft were delivered to Uzbekistan Airways and subsequently retired in 2018, the Russian government has tapped the Il-114-300 to be the successor to the aging Antonov An-24 and An-26, which nowadays are mostly used for short trips throughout Russia’s remote regions in the Arctic and the Far East.
Russian State-owned lessors have signed deals for at least 50 aircraft. Some smaller airlines also hold a few orders and commitments. UAC expects an entry-into-service date for the Il-114-300 to be around 2022-2023 once all flight tests have been successfully completed.
Jan-Hendrik is an aviation enthusiast from Germany, loves to travel the world and fly on as many aircraft as possible. His first flight was with a Condor 757 to Spain and has been interested in aviation ever since. His fields of expertise are aircraft accidents and passenger experience (PaxEx).
