It has been proposed in Russia to restore the airworthiness of up to 700 An-2 aircraft in storage with private owners. The initiator of the idea was SibNIA named after Chaplygin, the developer of the famous biplanes.
The resource of these machines has been used only by 25–30%, although the An-2 does not have a rigid calendar service life. Their return to service is capable of closing the shortage of transportation on local lines for the next 5–10 years.
The project involves modernization — replacing the ASH-62IR engine and updating instruments and the cabin. The cost of restoring one aircraft is estimated at 17–25 million rubles, the entire fleet — up to 21 billion.
However, the airlines operating An-2 indicated that they do not have money not only for new equipment, but even for maintaining the existing fleet. Most of the spare parts for the An-2 are either not produced, or are produced in unfriendly countries and supplied at prices and terms that have increased several times since 2022.
At the end of 2025, Rosaviatsia canceled the bulletin on resources, which regulated repairs as needed, and not on a schedule.
Honored Pilot of the USSR and member of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor Oleg Smirnov also explained to "Pervy Tekhnichesky" that another difficulty has been added to the difficulties of small aviation in Russia — gradually flying desks are disappearing. There are no new models, and outdated models are already "standing by the fence".
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