Ilyushin wets the appetite on a new medium haul deal with India, but gives little detail

Published: 1/17/2000

Russia and India are in the process of drawing up plans for the creation of a 100-seat medium haul airliner, according to reports from the Ilyushin Design Bureau. The bureau is reluctant to go into more detail, beyond those basic facts, on the grounds that the detail of the venture is “secret". Negotiations are taking place with an unnamed Indian partner, which could be the Aeronautical Development Agency of the Indian Ministry of Defence, which is known to have a project currently underway for a 120 seat aircraft for multipurpose military aircraft, called the Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA), which was displayed in 1996. Hindustan Aerospace, however, also have a proposal in the area under evaluation involving the A-320, for a quick convertible freighter. Ilyushin"s competitor for the medium haul joint venture is rumoured to be Airbus Industries. "Everything will be defined as the negotiation on the project goes along, and different variants are possible," commented Viktor Livanov, General Director of Ilyushin. The plane could be fitted to customer specification, either with foreign or domestic engines and avionics. Preliminary discussions with a number of Russian engine producers are already underway according to Ilyushin. The potential deal is still subject to competition from Airbus, but Ilyushin considers that both its and Russia"s long relationship with Indian aerospace will stand it in good stead.

Article ID: 1325