Russia’s import-substituted SJ-100 regional passenger aircraft is now expected to receive its revised type certificate only toward the end of 2026 or possibly in the first quarter of 2027. Kharun Karchayev, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Khabarovsk Territory, provided the new timeline at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Karchayev anticipates that the aircraft’s flight-test program will be finalized in 2026. Subsequently, the manufacturer is required to compile and submit a comprehensive package of supporting documentation to the aviation authorities of Russia. The revised type certificate will be issued after the major changes to the aircraft’s type design are approved.
Another modification to the expectations surrounding the SJ-100, a program that has become a focal point of Russia’s endeavor to decrease its reliance on foreign components in civil aviation, is represented by the most recent schedule.
A programme under pressure from conflicting deadlines
The certification timetable is particularly significant because earlier government plans had pointed to aircraft deliveries much sooner. The development of domestic civil aviation was the subject of an order signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in July 2026. The document anticipated that the initial deliveries of SJ-100 aircraft to airlines would occur in July–August 2026, with deliveries continuing until January 2029.
The latest certification schedule implies that the aircraft will not be accessible for regular airline deliveries on the previous timetable, unless certain aircraft are delivered under a different regulatory arrangement or the schedule is altered.
Additionally, there is an apparent conflict with the plans that Governor Dmitry Demeshin of the Khabarovsk Territory has announced. He declared in late July that the SJ-100 would start serial production in autumn 2026.
Certification is therefore a critical milestone for the entire program. The aircraft must satisfy the necessary certification requirements for airline operations, despite the fact that serial production can be prepared in advance.
From the Superjet to the SJ-100
The aircraft’s history is both extensive and intricate. Its roots can be traced back to the early 2000s, when the program was referred to as the Russian Regional Jet (RRJ). Boeing also expressed interest in Russia’s aviation industry and the emerging regional jet program, and numerous foreign partners were involved in its development.
The aircraft subsequently became the Sukhoi Superjet-100, or SSJ-100. Sukhoi anticipated a rapid development schedule at the outset of the program, with the first flight scheduled for 2006 and commercial operations anticipated in 2007–2008. Additionally, the organization expressed its intention to build a minimum of 700 aircraft.
The reality was significantly more challenging. The initial flight of the SSJ-100 occurred in May 2008, and the aircraft was granted its type certificate nearly three years later. In 2011, the first aircraft entered service with Armenia’s Armavia.
However, the programme struggled to establish the international customer base originally envisioned. Other airlines and operators subsequently reduced or abandoned their Superjet operations, and Armavia abandoned the aircraft only a year later.
Safety questions became part of the aircraft’s legacy
The Superjet programme has also faced criticism over aspects of its design and operation. The relationship between the fuel tanks and the landing gear is a particularly severe issue.
Three accidents involving SSJ-100 aircraft—in Yakutsk in 2018, Moscow in 2019, and Turkey in 2024—have resulted in hard landings, which were subsequently accompanied by damage to the fuel tanks and landing gear. The 2019 Sheremetyevo accident resulted in fatalities, while two of the accidents resulted in fires.
The Interstate Aviation Committee recommended that the aircraft’s designers consider modifications to the landing-gear and fuel-tank configurations in response to the investigations into the previous accidents.
These incidents have consequently remained part of the broader story surrounding the Superjet and its development into the SJ-100.
The promised 700 aircraft never materialised
The production figures also illustrate the gap between the original ambitions and the programme’s actual performance.
Instead of hundreds of aircraft forming a major international fleet, the SSJ-100 remains a relatively small programme. Around 150 aircraft were in operation with Russian airlines at the time, according to comments made by Gennady Abramenkov, deputy director of Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, in July 2026.
Rossiya is the largest operator, with a fleet of 78 aircraft. Red Wings, Azimuth, Yamal, IrAero, and Yakutia are among the other Russian airlines that operate Superjets.
The aircraft underwent an additional branding change in 2023, becoming the Superjet-100, or SJ-100. However, the new designation is more significant in that it denotes an aircraft that is undergoing a significant amount of import substitution.
Import substitution is the real test
The SJ-100 is therefore not simply a renamed version of the original Superjet. Russia has been replacing foreign systems and components with domestically produced alternatives, a process that has necessitated extensive redesign and new testing.
This is one of the reasons why the certification procedure has become so significant. The authorities are required to not only certify an aircraft that is derived from an existing design but also to account for the significant modifications that have been implemented as part of the domestic-content program.
The aircraft’s future will consequently depend on whether the remaining flight tests and certification work can be completed without further major delays.
A crucial aircraft for Russian regional aviation
The demand for the aircraft remains substantial. Demeshin has predicted that the Khabarovsk Territory alone could necessitate approximately 100 regional aircraft, with the SJ-100 and Il-114 expected to satisfy a portion of this demand.
The implications for Russia are far-reaching and extend beyond a single aircraft program. The nation requires a consistent domestic supply of passenger aircraft that can connect regional communities and reduce its reliance on foreign manufacturers and components.
The SJ-100 is designed to address a major portion of this gap. However, the aircraft is currently confronted with another critical phase following two decades of development, challenging transitions to domestic components, limited production, and changing schedules.
The revised type certification for the import-substituted SJ-100 could be obtained between the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027 if the current schedule is maintained. Russia will only then have a more precise understanding of the time frame at which the aircraft can transition from a protracted development program to sustained serial production and airline service.