Lukoil-Avia (LUK, Moscow Sheremetyevo) has taken delivery of its first SSJ 100/95SBJ, which is also the final unit of the SSJ 100/95 family with Western-made PowerJet SaM146 engines and other components to be assembled by Yakovlev.
RA-89215 (msn 95230) was ferried on August 30, 2024, to Zhukovsky under the 'XAV' code of aviation services provider Aviaprom Enterprises (XAV). After a series of test flights in early September, the aircraft was repositioned to Moscow Sheremetyevo on September 27 and operated its first flight to Nizhny Novgorod Strigino under the 'LUK' code on October 11.
The aircraft flew for the first time in November 2022 and is the final unit to be assembled with PowerJet engines, although three other aircraft built in 2022 (although before RA-89215) have yet to be delivered. At least one of these, msn 95211, is currently undergoing conversion to an executive SSJ 100/95SBJ variant for an undisclosed customer.
Lukoil-Avia's executive fleet comprises one Global Express XRS, two King Air B300s, and six Mi-8MTV-1 Mil Helicopters, according to the Russian register. The SSJ 100/95SBJ is its first Russian-made fixed-wing aircraft since it retired the last Yak-42D in 2014. Lukoil-Avia is the in-house corporate and utility carrier of Russian oil and gas company Lukoil.
Yakovlev, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned aircraft manufacturer UAC United Aircraft Corporation, is currently working on a new variant, the SJ 100, with Aviadvigatel PD-8 engines and Russian-made components replacing those that are now unavailable due to Western sanctions. The SJ 100 is currently scheduled for entry into service in 2026.
