The new Russian long-haul aircraft Tu-454 critically needs global external markets, otherwise the project risks not taking off due to complex economics. This was stated by the founder of "Premier Aero" company, aviation expert Viktor Martynov.
According to him, under an accelerated scenario, the cycle of creating a wide-body aircraft from concept to commercial flights takes at least ten years. Theoretical sales markets are considered to be China and India, but these countries may not be interested in a long-haul aircraft.
Complete import independence means the need for long-term subsidization. As a strategic solution, this is possible, but it does not form a sustainable economic model.
Martynov reminded that China has bet on its own programs, and the history of CR929 showed that even with a formal partnership, control over technology and product remains a key issue.
India, on the other hand, focuses on solutions with global service support and proven operation, which the Tu-454 will not have at the start, Martynov concluded.
Andrey Patrakov, a board member of the Association of Small Aviation Enterprises, explained to "Pervyy Tekhnicheskiy" that none of the remaining design bureaus in Russia can handle the development of the Tu-454 alone.
