HAL said the production of the SJ-100 aircraft marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian aviation industry. It is a step towards realizing the dream of a self-reliant India in the civil aviation sector.

India-Russia relations and the indigenous aviation sector are about to take on a new dimension. HAL, the indigenous state-owned aviation company, has signed a contract with Russia to manufacture Sukhoi Superjet (SJ-100) passenger aircraft. The agreement was signed in Moscow on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) in the presence of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) CMD DK Sunil.

HAL issued an official statement stating that these SJ-100 (Sukhoi Superjet) aircraft will be used for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN scheme. While HAL did not specify how many aircraft have been agreed to be manufactured in India or when production will begin, the aviation company did state that the country currently requires approximately 200 aircraft under the UDAN scheme. Furthermore, if international tourist destinations in the Indian Ocean region (such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives) are included, an additional 350 aircraft will be required.

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Russia-India sign the first agreement on manufacturing civil aircraft

The twin-engine SJ-100 aircraft is manufactured by the Russian state-owned Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PHSC-UAC). In Russia, 200 of these aircraft are used by 16 commercial airlines for domestic flights.

According to HAL, the SJ-100 will be a game-changer for short-haul flights. Furthermore, the partnership between HAL and UAC is a result of mutual trust. HAL has already manufactured approximately 250 Sukhoi fighter jets and 600 MiG-21 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force under license from Russia. However, this is the first agreement of its kind with Russia for civil aircraft.

India is moving towards self-reliance in the civil aviation sector.

This is also HAL's first civilian aircraft. Currently, in addition to the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, HAL manufactures the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachanda, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, and the HTT (trainer) aircraft. All of these are military aircraft. However, in 1961, HAL also manufactured the Avro HS-748 passenger aircraft. This project was discontinued in 1988.

According to HAL, the production of the SJ-100 aircraft marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian aviation industry. It is a step towards realizing the vision of a "self-reliant India" in the civil aviation sector. Manufacturing will also strengthen the private sector and create direct and indirect employment opportunities in the aviation industry.