Embraer and Sukhoi eager to make small jets locally : Report
India, is world’s fastest-growing aviation market because of growing number of small airports in tier 3 and tier 4 cities and towns of the country. These towns have airports with limited capacity and short runways and therefore not equipped to handle narrow-body planes of Airbus and Boeing.
Therefore India is trying to ramp up its small-plane fleet as this will help the government bolster tourism and facilitate faster access to remote areas in the country. A civilian version of Dornier 228 which is manufactured by HAL has already been certified by DGCA for civilian use. Soon even the indigenous designed Saras 2 should be going into full production. However these will not be enough because of growing market requirement.
In order to improve connectivity to small towns and far-flung regions, the government is trying to boost the numbers of smaller aircrafts through partnership with global aircraft manufacturers, like Embraer SA and Russia’s Sukhoi.
Aim is to make small planes locally. For this the government will keep 51 per cent equity with an Indian firm, while asking the foreign partner to do technology transfer. The jets, which typically seat less than 100 people, are likely to be produced in Gujarat, as per a source.
As part of a regional connectivity programme, Govt has allocated Rs 4,500 crore to develop 100 inadequately-served airports, heliports and water aerodromes, besides opening 1,000 new routes by next year.
The Centre mandates airlines operate at least 10 per cent of their capacity on remote routes, including J&K and the Northeast. For this smaller planes will be more efficient for airlines as they can fill a larger share of total seats.
It is estimated that the country needs nearly 2,210 additional aircrafts by 2040 out of which nearly 1750 will be in the form of smaller jets. In fact preliminary discussions have taken place with Embraer, while Sukhoi has expressed interest in manufacturing regional jets locally. In addition, the country has also approached ATR, a joint venture between Airbus and Leonardo SpA of Italy, to make in India.
Embraer said India has “significant opportunities” for regional jets and the manufacturer “continuously looks for ways to collaborate with India to find win-win solutions”. Representatives for Sukhoi, ATR and the aviation ministry didn’t respond to emails seeking comments.
ATR small planes are the workhorse of regional routes in India with the nation’s top carrier, IndiGo, operating 39 of them. Rival De Havilland’s Dash-8 Q400 turboprops, which seat between 78 and 90 people, are operated by SpiceJet Ltd.
