Russia was able to build only 2 civilian aircraft in H1

The ambitious plans of the Russian terrorist government to revive the aviation industry on a Soviet scale and produce 100 passenger liners per year are turning into a fiasco. In the first half of 2023, only two heavy civilian aircraft were produced in the terrorist country of the Russian Federation, reports Air Media with reference to Federal State Statistics Service data.

It is about aircraft with an empty weight of more than 15 tons. One such aircraft was produced in February, the second in June, according to official statistics. While airlines are dismantling the remaining foreign fleet for spare parts, reducing aircraft maintenance requirements, Russia's aviation industry is scrapping all key import substitution programs.

The volume of SSJ-100 production is three times behind the plan. Instead of 19 machines, the Irkut corporation will be able to produce only 6. The reason is the refusal to supply imported equipment, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Khabarovsk Krai, Yevgeny Romanov, said in May.

Il-114-300 passenger planes, which were planned to be used for regional flights, will also not be produced on time. The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) as part of the contract signed in 2020 was supposed to deliver the first three aircraft already in October of this year, and by 2030 to provide air carriers with a fleet of 70 liners.

But the deadlines are disrupted due to problems with the engine, which was recognized as requiring refinement.

Meanwhile, the foreign fleet of Russian airlines is declining, and the lack of spare parts forces them to cannibalize. By 2026, Russia may lose half of the 736 liners it has now, predict Oliver Wyman experts.

Even the SSJ-100, where French Safran engines are installed, will have to be decommissioned en masse. According to the forecasts of Irkut and the United Engine Building Corporation, only 28 of the 150 machines will remain in operation by 2030.

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