The Russian government has secured funding for the production of 18 MC-21 aircraft, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced at a meeting on aviation industry development. At the same time, the industry faces a more complex task – to prevent production downtime and ensure the fulfillment of the planned order until 2035.
To achieve this, the authorities plan to launch preferential lending: the mechanism should reduce the financial burden on companies that acquire Russian aircraft through leasing. Separately, it is planned to subsidize commercial loan rates for airlines and leasing organizations.
In 2026, the government will allocate over 250 billion rubles to a comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry. These funds will be used, among other things, to increase advance payments for the supply of more than 70 aircraft, prepare production facilities and cooperation, and produce over 70 Mi-8MTV-1 helicopters for regional carriers.
Another 2.6 billion rubles will be allocated for the completion of the first three serial Il-114-300.
The industry's problem is not only in the production of new aircraft. Mishustin specifically instructed to promptly report any production delays and emphasized the need to maintain the rhythm of enterprises' work. The government also intends to support aircraft operation and the development of after-sales service.
For the Russian aviation industry, this means a transition from one-time production injections to an attempt to build a full cycle: aircraft production – purchase financing – operation – service.
Read more on the topic:
- Hundreds of Russian airliners await crews: training specialists for the MC-21 and Tu-214 has become a new challenge for aviation
- A Big Step for MC-21: Production of One of the Aircraft's Most Complex Elements Launched in Nizhny Novgorod
- "Tu-214's 'voracity' is inferior to the new MC-21: airlines are afraid to buy the airliner in Kazan"