An archival report by the Accounts Chamber, highlighted by "Fontanka", explained one of the main reasons for abandoning the Tu-334 passenger aircraft project. According to the document, the decision was not at all related to a lack of demand for the airliner.
The aircraft was considered "competitive with respect to the RRJ project" — the future Sukhoi Superjet 100.
At the same time, the auditors specifically indicated that the volume of the Russian and foreign markets allowed for the simultaneous production of both aircraft.
The report also concludes that such an approach could contradict the law "On Protection of Competition".
The Tu-334 made its first flight back in 1999. However, serial production never began, and state support was focused on the RRJ project, which later became known as the Superjet 100. As a result, the Tu-334 production project was frozen, but it was never formally closed.