Russia produces its own aircraft to escape dependence on Airbus and Boeing
Since 50% of the parts and technology used in the Russian aircraft industry in 2021 were sourced from abroad, according to documents from the Russian government.
Rostec will have to buy or manufacture these parts themselves.
“We do not expect sanctions to be eased and we are building our plan based on the current difficult scenario,” Rostec said.
Russian aviation is aiming to use locally made components to produce 1,000 commercial aircraft by 2030.
Sergei Chemezov, ceo of the state industrial and defense corporation Russia Rostec on September 28 said that the country’s aviation industry aims to be self-reliant, using domestic parts and components to build 1,000 aircraft in the next 7 years, ending dependence on Boeing and Airbus.
Chemezov sees this period of upheaval as an opportunity to build a strong and self-reliant aviation industry.
“The squadron will eliminate foreign aircraft. We believe that this process is irreversible, Boeing and Airbus aircraft will never be delivered to Russia,” he said.
Rostec’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is Russia’s only manufacturer of civil aircraft.
Russian aviation uses foreign aircraft, mainly Boeing and Airbus, to service 95% of passenger traffic, but the wave of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow due to the Ukrainian war has prevented it from buying spare parts.
In August, Reuters quoted sources as saying that some Russian airlines, including the national carrier Aeroflot, had to disassemble Boeing and Airbus commercial planes for spare parts because they could not import from abroad under sanctions.
Russia’s Transport Ministry and Aeroflot did not respond to requests for comment.
Observers also believe that creating an alternative line of passenger aircraft in the country will be very difficult.
According to Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace expert and managing director of aeronautical consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, Russia’s goal of producing 1,000 aircraft by 2030 by 2030 is fundamentally “impossible.”
“Even if Russia can afford important Western components, it still has difficulty mass-producing,” he said, referring to the fact that since Soviet times, Russia has built only about 2,000 large commercial aircraft.
