How many years will it take Russia to 'localize' civil aviation?

Back on your wings

The problems with Russian civil aviation became more serious after the West introduced tough sanctions due to the Russian Armed Forces' special operations to demilitarize Ukraine. The European Union, the United States, Canada and a number of other countries closed their doors to Russian aviation. The European Union banned the supply of civil aircraft and spare parts to Russia and forced leasing companies to terminate contracts with Russian airlines by the end of March. Aircraft maintenance and insurance services were also banned.

Illustrative image.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) recommends that airlines with foreign-registered fleets suspend flights abroad to avoid seizure of their aircraft. And flights to countries that have not closed their skies to Russian airlines are now mainly carried out on aircraft with Russian registration (RA code and five-digit number on the fuselage). Practice once again proves an undeniable truth: for a large country with a powerful aviation industry, it is unreasonable to “do like everyone else”, just for the sake of temporary benefits, essentially carrying passengers and cargo on foreign aircraft. You need to fly on your own aircraft, both technically and legally. Just like in the Soviet era.

Rostec previously announced plans to deliver more than 500 domestically produced aircraft by 2030. These include the latest MS-21, the fully localized Sukhoi SSJ, the Il-114 regional turboprop and the wide-body Il-96 (which will be modernized from 4 engines to 2 new: powerful, fuel-efficient). In addition, airlines will receive 70 newly built Tu-214 medium-class narrow-body aircraft.

What's interesting about the Tu-214?

The Tu-214 cannot be called the newest in terms of development time. It made its first flight in 1996, but it is by no means outdated. It is a twin-engine low-wing aircraft of the now familiar “engine under the wing” scheme, similar to modern Boeing and Airbus.

According to the developer - Tupolev company - the aircraft is 46.2 m long, has a wingspan of 42 m, a maximum take-off weight of 110.7 tons and can accommodate 210 passengers. The practical flight range is 6,500 km at an altitude of 10,100 — 12,000 m, the maximum speed is 850 km/h (all Tupolev brand aircraft usually fly at high speeds). The Tu-214 achieves such speed thanks to its excellent aerodynamic design and two PS-90A "turbofan" jet engines with a total thrust of 32,000 kgf. The engines are economical and fully meet the requirements for noise and toxic emissions.

The Tu-214 is distinguished by high reliability and modern avionics, according to Rostec. Thanks to this, it has become the basic configuration for a whole class of special-purpose aircraft. For example, aircraft operating under the Treaty on Open Skies, as well as the special flight crew "Rossiya", which serves the leadership of the country, including the President. In commercial configuration, in terms of the combination of characteristics, it is ideal for transportation within Russia. And the aircraft can be quickly converted from passenger to cargo.

But most importantly, the Tu-214 is currently being produced at the Kazan Aviation Plant (Republic of Tatarstan, Volga region). So far, the aircraft has been mass-produced in small quantities, but the enterprise has the potential to increase production. On April 6, UAC General Director Yuri Slyusar announced the launch of production of 20 new aircraft of this type at once.

At the end of March, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, during a visit to the Kazan Aviation Plant, noted the interest of Russian airlines in the Tu-214 and their readiness for purchase.