India, Russia to set up JV to market Russian Il-114 airliner

Moscow, Oct 15 (UNI) The Russian Aircraft holding and the Indian Hindavia company will soon set up a joint venture (JV) to market and sell Il-114-100 airliners in India, the head of the Russian company Pavel Melnikov said today.

The Il-114-100 is a short-range passenger airliner powered by two PW-127 Pratt and Whitney turboprop engines. It can carry up to 64 passengers.

''The joint venture will promote the Il-114 on the Indian market and in other South and Southeast Asian countries,'' Melnikov told RIA Novosti news agency.

He said despite the current crisis in the global civil aircraft industry, India remains an attractive market for foreign aircraft manufacturers.

He added Il-114 planes have twice the fuel efficiency of their turbojet counterparts, and that demand for the aircraft will grow as fuel costs rise.

The Il-114-100 planes are produced at Uzbekistan's Tashkent aircraft manufacturing plant, which has been integrated into Russia's United Aircraft Corporation.

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