The 46–49 t (45–48 long tons) MTOW plane typically seats 87 to 98 passengers and is powered by two 77–79 kN (17,000–18,000 lbf) PowerJet SaM146 turbofans developed by a joint venture between French Safran and Russian NPO Saturn.

After analysing the Russian market, Sukhoi identified a need for an aircraft with a range of between 3,000 and 4,500 km (1,900 and 2,800 mi), greater than typical regional jets.

[9] At this time, Sukhoi anticipated a market for 600 aircraft by 2020 – representing 10% of global demand for regional jets – for a total sales volume of $11 billion.

[9] In June 2007, Boeing expanded its assistance to cover flight and maintenance crew training and manuals, and spare parts management and supply.

[10] The first SSJ was transported in an Antonov 124 from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Zhukovsky, Moscow Oblast on 28 January 2007, for ground tests conducted by the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

[40] On 14 March 2022, EASA revoked the Superjet's airworthiness certificate as part of the EU's sanctions against Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[citation needed] A new "sabrelet" winglet, helping takeoff and landing performance and delivering 3% better fuel burn, will be standard and available for retrofit.

[52] Sukhoi forecasts 345 sales from 2018 to 2030, mostly in post-Soviet states and some in south-east Asia and Latin America, including an improved range business jet version.

[52] Russian government has earmarked ₽3.2 billion ($51 million) toward the variant of the SSJ with indigenous propulsion and avionics, introduced at the Eurasia Airshow 2018 in Antalya alongside the SSJ75.

[66] In July 2023, Irkut announced that the entire company would be rebranded under the Yakovlev name, to be effective by the end of August, though it did not specify whether the Superjet would undergo a further change of designation.

[citation needed] A new factory would be built at Al Ain International Airport, Abu Dhabi, where aircraft would be assembled before completion at SJI's Venice site.

Sukhoi claims cash operational costs are lower than competitors by 8-10%, with reduced fuel burn per seat and longer maintenance intervals.

[78] On 19 April 2011, the first production aircraft was handed over to Armavia at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan, to be operated to Moscow and Sochi, as well as Ukrainian cities.

[82] By March 2012, the six aircraft operated by Aeroflot were flying 3.9 hours/day instead of the standard 8–9 hours due to failures and parts delivery delays, and the airline asked for compensation.

[citation needed] On 24 December 2016, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency grounded seven jets after a tail component of an IrAero SSJ100 showed metal fatigue, leading Sukhoi to inspect the entire fleet.

[93] By 27 December, all aircraft had been inspected and it had been shown that the defect was not systemic as it featured multiple redundancies and a safety margin doubling the normal loads.

[97] Sukhoi recognised it needed to improve customer support with more responsiveness and availability for flight training, engineering and spare parts supply.

[43] In early November 2017, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency and Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) amended their bilateral airworthiness agreement, hitting SSJ export sales.

[103] In August 2018, Russian regional carrier Yakutia Airlines considered withdrawing their SSJs, after two were grounded because their engines were removed after 1,500-3,000 cycles, below the 7,000 specified, and no replacements were available.

[110] In October 2018, Sukhoi and engine contractor UEC agreed on a plan, backed by the Russian government, to focus on customer support rather than deliveries in order to improve dispatch reliability.

[114] Neither CityJet nor Brussels Airlines have commented as to why they dropped the SSJ, though low reliability, difficult maintenance and spare parts availability are suspected to have contributed.

[118] Therefore, As of May 2019[update], Sukhoi has had trouble selling the Superjet and renewing leasing contracts outside of Russia because of reliability and service network issues, resulting in an average of 109 flight hours per month for Russian airlines, approximately half the Embraer EMB 170 productivity, and just a third of a Boeing or Airbus jet.

[120] Yamal Airlines, the second-largest Russian SSJ operator, announced the cancellation of its order for 10 further SSJs, citing high servicing costs.

Kommersant cited industry sources as saying the Superjet 100 had lower dispatch reliability than Airbus and Boeing aircraft in the airline's fleet historically and attributed a rise in cancellations to "increased safety measures" at Aeroflot while the accident is investigated.

[128] In December 2020, Rossiya Airlines announced that it intends to operate 66 Superjets by the end of 2021, transferred from its parent company Aeroflot which currently has 54 SJs.

[129] In September 2023, North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un visited a fighter aircraft production in Russia’s Far East, he also inspected civil aviation project, included the domestic made Superjet 100.

In 2023, it emerged that there was a shortage of parts for the SaM146 engines, namely igniter plugs produced in the United States and French fuel filters for which no domestic replacement could be found.

[132] In September 2022, UEC Saturn, producer of the SaM146, resorted to cleaning old filters as a method to extend the lifetime of the engines, though this procedure was banned by the Russian regulator due to lack of formal certification.

[141] In 2017, with a business plan for 150 aircraft, a go-ahead for the NG 130-seat stretch depended on the availability of engines with sufficient thrust and was due by the end of the year.

He explained that S7 had insisted on the participation of its own experts in the test programme, and had demanded the replacement of the composite floor that showed insufficient fire resistance in the Sheremetyevo crash, together with a redesign of the wheel wells.