Deliveries of Russian Baikal aircraft expected from end of 2026 - Industry and Trade Minister

MOSCOW. March 3 (Interfax) - The first deliveries of Baikal aircraft under the contract with Aurora Airlines, the aircraft's launch customer, are expected at the end of 2026, Russia's Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said during a meeting of the presidium of the Council of Legislators under the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

"Contracts with Aurora have actually been concluded, and the first deliveries of the Baikal are planned for the end of 2026," Alikhanov said.

Three prototypes of the aircraft have currently been manufactured, and 174 flights have been performed on imported power units, Alikhanov added. Meantime, two domestic experimental VK-800 engines and an AV-901 propeller are ready. The aircraft developer "has been given recommendations on improving the features", and the modified equipment is undergoing flight tests.

"In terms of the Ladoga regional aircraft, the enterprise is currently manufacturing the fuselage of the first prototype of the planned four prototypes. It is around 90% ready," Alikhanov said.

The Industry and Trade Ministry plans in the near future to announce the selection of developers for the final stage of the experimental design work on the Baikal aircraft, Alikhanov said last week during an interview with Rossiya 24. Ural Works of Civil Aviation (UWCA) and S.A. Chaplygin Siberian Research Institute of Aviation (SiBNIA) are developing the aircraft jointly, Alikhanov said. During a recent visit of the ministry's delegation to SiBNIA, the possibility of upgrading the Baikal was discussed, so that the aircraft could "land and take off from more airfields in the Far East, Arctic territories, Siberia and generally throughout our country."

The nine-seat Baikal is being developed for local airlines and is intended to replace the An-2 crop duster. Baikal Engineering LLC, a subsidiary of UWCA, which won the corresponding tender of the Industry and Trade Ministry in 2019, is the developer of the liner. The UWCA plant in Yekaterinburg was chosen to manufacture the aircraft. According to the Comprehensive Aviation Industry Development Program (CAI), the first five Baikals were expected to be delivered in 2025, and a total of 139 of the aircraft is planned to be manufactured by 2030. Meantime, Alikhanov in September said that certification and deliveries were expected only from 2026.

The Ladoga is a promising twin-engine turboprop regional aircraft designed to carry up to 44 passengers. By order of the Industry and Trade Ministry, UWCA is also creating replacements for the outdated fleet of Soviet An-24/26 and Yak-40. In accordance with the CAI, the first 35 serial Ladogas should be released in 2028, with 105 units planned to be built by 2030.