MOSCOW: Russia is allocating 100 billion rubles ($1.5 billion) from the state budget for the construction of Il-114 and Il-96-400 planes, the Meduza news agency reported here the other day, citing Russian Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov.
The first Il-114 planes, intended for local airlines, are expected to be ready by 2019, Manturov said. The ministry will spend 50 billion rubles on Il-114 planes before 2025.
The remaining 50 billion will be used to build Il-96-400 long-haul planes, Manturov said, adding that six planes of this type will be supplied to the State Transport Leasing Company before 2021.
According to Manturov, President Vladimir Putin personally chose Il-114 over four models of regional aircraft offered by the Ministry, the Interfax news agency reported.
The Ilyushin Il-114 twin-engine airliner was designed in the 1980s for local routes and made its first flight in 1990. After that, plans for the serial production of Il-114 planes — supposed to be launched in Uzbekistan — fell through with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Il-96-400 is a modification of the Il-96 — the first Soviet long-haul wide-body aircraft designed by the Ilyushin design bureau in 1980s.
