MC-21 May Face Sequestration: Rosaviatsiya Presents Plan to Save Russian Aircraft Industry

In five years, the aircraft fleet in Russia maydecrease by 539 aircraft and helicopters. To prevent the situation from reaching a critical phase, Rosaviatsiya has come up with new measures to maintain the airworthiness of the aircraft.

Pessimistic Scenario

In the worst-case scenario, Russian civil aviation could lose 339 aircraft (109 foreign aircraft that can no longer be repaired independently, and 230 domestic ones) and 200 helicopters (190 of which are Russian and Soviet-made) by 2030, noted Dmitry Yadrov, head of the agency.

As of October 6, the fleet of 76 airlines in Russia, which account for 99% of all traffic, consists of 1,135 aircraft. Of these, 47 are no longer flying due to difficulties with repairs and various malfunctions, which cannot be carried out due to the refusal of foreign manufacturers to cooperate.

Save the Sky

To solve the problem, Rosaviatsiya has developed a comprehensive aviation development program for the next five years.

For example, Rosaviatsiyaextended the life of the Russian-French SaM146 engine, which is installed on the first "Superjets". The decision will allow the aircraft to be operated until 2028-2029.

Also, changes were made to the Air Code to allow the approval of analogue components. The measure will allow domestic companies to enter the spare parts market more quickly.

What About the Money

According to the draft budget for the next three years, 34.7 billion rubles were allocated for the aviation industry development program for 2026, and 37.8 billion rubles for 2027. In the current budget, funds were planned in the amount of 65.1 billion and 53 billion rubles (total - 118.1 billion rubles). The draft for 2028includes the amount of 72.8 billion rubles.

This puts at risk the timing of the launch into series production of the new MC-21 airliner, which is being built in Irkutsk, as well as the planned new aircraft for local airlines "Baikal" in the Urals. However, regarding the financing of the aircraft industry, there is an opinion that the reduction in fundswill not affect the final result.

Earlier,www1.ru reported that Russia is launching a new production of parts for MC-21 and SJ-100.

Read more materials:

• MC-21-310 with PD-14 engines and SJ-100 with PD-8 will be certified in 2026

• TV7-117 engine for Il-114-300 "lost weight" thanks to a new development

• Achilles' heel of the "Superjet": the pilot raised the alarm because of a defect in the aircraft