Russian government to invest over $14 billion in domestic aviation industry, wants 80% of civil aircraft to be domestic — Aviation Weekly

The Russian government announced plans to invest over $14 billion in its domestic aviation industry by the end of the decade as the country tries to boost domestic aircraft production. The government’s goal is for 81% of aircraft operated by Russian airlines to be domestically produced by 2030.

Due to its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has faced a growing aviation crisis that has left airlines unable to service western aircraft, scrambling to find parts, and have even started cannibalizing aircraft. Airlines such as Aeroflot have also seen the delivery of new western planes such as the A350 canceled; some airliners that were on lease to Russian airlines have also been repossessed, and some inside the country have also been seized. However, this is only a temporary solution as the Russian government has started to re-register these aircraft, allowing airlines to resume operations with them.

At the start of 2022, Aeroflot operated a fleet of 187 aircraft; of these, only ten were produced in Russia. Because of this and the sanctions on spare parts, the airline is looking to order 300 domestically produced Irkut MC-21 aircraft from the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).