The revived Tu-214 in Kazan may not regain its former popularity among domestic airlines. This forecast was given by Yury Zakharchenko, executive director of the professional association "RKK-Nauka".
According to him, everything depends on the specific actions of the government to protect the interests of domestic manufacturers. He recalled that initially the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and the MS-21 were equipped with 60–70% foreign-made components.
It is difficult to say with confidence that domestic aircraft will be in demand. Moreover, it was the airlines themselves, primarily Aeroflot, that collapsed the market for domestic aircraft by switching to Boeing and Airbus airliners.
Zakharchenko expressed hope that the Kazan Aviation Plant will organize at least small-batch production of the Tu-214.
At the same time, large investments in production must be justified by demand for the aircraft, and this is, I repeat, a question for the government and the airlines.
United Aircraft Corporation and State Transport Leasing Company, together with S7 Group, signed a memorandum on the delivery of 100 Tu-214 aircraft, starting in 2029.
Aviation expert Andrey Velichko told "Pervomu tekhnicheskomu" that the Kazan Aviation Plant is capable of building a Tu-214 with a two-person cockpit within three years, if there are no external delays.
Read more materials on the topic:
- Reality versus plans: aviation expert explained why dozens of Tu-214s will appear only in the distant future
- The cost of the first batches of the MS-21, Tu-214, and Il-114-300 will be significantly reduced — Ministry of Industry and Trade
- A beneficial advantage of Soviet Tu-214s over the new MS-21 has been named
