Sukhoi Superjet 100-95 SSJ

What is the Sukhoi Superjet 100?

The Sukhoi Superjet 100, often written SSJ100 or SSJ 100, is a twin-engine regional jet built in Russia. It first flew on 19 May 2008 from Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

It was meant to replace aging Soviet-era airliners such as the Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-42. It was also the first all-new Russian passenger jet since the Soviet Union ended.

Russian authorities certified it on 3 February 2011, and the first flight with passengers, for Armenia’s Armavia, followed on 21 April 2011. Europe’s EASA certified it a year later, on 3 February 2012.

Why the Superjet was built with Western parts

The Superjet was designed for export as well as for Russian airlines. To sell outside Russia it needed engines, avionics and systems that foreign regulators and airlines already trusted.

That is why it flies on PowerJet SaM146 engines, a joint venture between France’s Safran and Russia’s NPO Saturn. Its avionics suite comes from Thales.

The result was a modern fly-by-wire regional jet that competed with the Embraer E-Jets and Bombardier’s regional types. It was also an aircraft whose reliability depended on a foreign supply chain.

Variants and the new SJ-100

The baseline Superjet 100-95B was followed in 2013 by the 100-95LR long-range version, which carries a higher takeoff weight.

The aircraft now being developed is the import-substituted SJ-100, marketed under the Yakovlev name. It swaps the SaM146 for the Russian PD-8 engine and replaces Western avionics and systems with Russian ones. It has a longer wing than the original, and it is advertised with up to 103 seats.

The PD-8 first flew on a Superjet on 17 March 2025. The first serial import-substituted aircraft made its first flight on 5 September 2025.

Deadlines have kept slipping. Rostec’s chief said in September 2026 that deliveries to airlines would not begin until the second half of 2027, after earlier hopes of 2026.

How many Sukhoi Superjet 100s are in service?

Wikipedia counts about 160 Superjets in service as of April 2023, out of roughly 230 built. Almost all of them fly in Russia, for Aeroflot, Yamal Airlines, Red Wings, Azimuth and Gazpromavia.

The count in the air is lower than the count on paper. Many airframes are parked as spare parts for the rest, because sanctions have made new engine parts hard to get.

Fleet numbers move quickly, so treat any single figure as a snapshot rather than a current total.

How sanctions hit the Superjet

EASA revoked the Superjet’s European airworthiness certificate on 14 March 2022, after EU sanctions followed the invasion of Ukraine. From 2023, SaM146 engines ran short of parts, including US-made igniter plugs and French fuel filters that Russia could not yet replace.

Airlines responded by cannibalizing grounded aircraft. Rossiya Airlines warned in 2023 that only about 40% of its Superjets might be flying that summer.

Aeroflot ordered 89 of the Russified aircraft in 2022, a bet that the replacement version would arrive before the old fleet wore out.

Is the Superjet 100 safe?

The Superjet has had five hull-loss accidents, according to Wikipedia as of January 2026. Three of them killed people, 89 in total.

The first was a demonstration flight that hit Mount Salak in Indonesia on 9 May 2012, killing all 45 on board. The pilot ignored a terrain warning while distracted by a conversation with a potential customer.

The deadliest was Aeroflot Flight 1492 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo on 5 May 2019. Lightning knocked out radio and other equipment shortly after takeoff, and the aircraft bounced on its emergency landing before catching fire. 41 of the 78 people aboard died.

A third fatal crash came on 12 July 2024, when a Gazpromavia Superjet went down near Kolomna on a ferry flight after repairs, killing its three crew.

The record reflects a small fleet and a short history.

Explaining the numbers

The full specification table for the aircraft is on this page. A few figures need context.

The range in the table is for the long-range 95LR at 98 seats. The baseline 95B flies a shorter distance, so range quoted for “the Superjet” depends on which version a source means.

Cost depends on the year. Wikipedia puts the unit cost at $31 to $35 million in 2012, and the price in the panel header is the later 2018 base price.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SSJ 100?

SSJ 100 is the short name for the Sukhoi Superjet 100, a Russian twin-engine regional jet that first flew in 2008. Its Russian-engined successor is called the SJ-100.

Is Sukhoi Superjet 100 safe?

It has had five hull losses and 89 deaths in total as of January 2026. That includes the 2012 Mount Salak crash and the 2019 Aeroflot fire at Sheremetyevo. The fleet is small, so its rates are hard to compare with the big Western types.

How many Sukhoi Superjet 100 are in service?

About 160 were in service in April 2023, according to Wikipedia, mostly in Russia. The figure has probably fallen as sanctions limit spare parts.

How much does a Sukhoi Superjet 100 cost?

The price in the panel header on this page is the 2018 base price. Wikipedia also lists a lower unit cost of $31 to $35 million for 2012.

When will the new SJ-100 be delivered?

Rostec’s chief said in September 2026 that deliveries would start in the second half of 2027. Earlier targets of 2025 and 2026 were missed.