Plans for a sharp increase in Tu-214 production at the Kazan Aircraft Plant look impressive on paper, but it's better to evaluate them through a realistic production cycle. In an interview with "Pervy Tekhnichesky", the editor-in-chief of Avia.ru, aviation expert Roman Gusarov, explained why even five aircraft a year could be a serious achievement for Kazan.
He reminded that KAZ historically built a limited number of Tu-214s. The reason was not the lack of production sites, but the aircraft manufacturing technology itself.
The technological process there is such that it is very difficult to accelerate; it can only be scaled. Accordingly, the plant needs to be increased 10 times if we need not two aircraft, but 20.
Gusarov added that the enterprise really wants to increase production many times over; it's not enough just to speed up workers. KAZ will need new workshops, equipment, and trained personnel.
The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Tatarstan, Oleg Korobchenko, noted that KAZ will build at least four Tu-214s in total by the end of 2026. As of August, the enterprise had delivered only one aircraft.