Russian carrier Aeroflot has said that state support will be necessary to replace the SaM146 engines currently powering Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft with Russian-made PD-8 engines.
Aeroflot CEO Sergey Aleksandrovsky said the engine replacement program would only be economically viable with certain forms of government support, warning that without subsidies, SSJ 100 aircraft could gradually be phased out of Russian airline fleets.
Support and supply for the Russian-French SaM146 engines used on the SSJ 100 have become a significant challenge since French manufacturer Safran suspended its involvement in the project in 2022. Russia plans to replace the SaM146 engines on existing aircraft with domestically produced PD-8 engines.
According to estimates, converting a single SSJ 100 to PD-8 engines could cost approximately 2.1–2.3 billion rubles. Around 50 aircraft are being considered for the initial phase of the program, which could bring the total cost to approximately 115 billion rubles.
There are currently around 150–160 SSJ 100 aircraft in Russia, 78 of which are operated by Rossiya Airlines, part of the Aeroflot Group. The number of aircraft ultimately selected for the engine replacement program is expected to be determined based on each aircraft’s remaining service life and economic viability.
The PD-8 received its type certificate in June 2026, while work to re-engine existing SSJ 100s is expected to begin toward the end of 2029. Aeroflot plans to offset any capacity loss from aircraft that cannot undergo the conversion by increasing the utilization of other aircraft and introducing new MC-21s into its fleet.
