MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. Foreign aircraft manufacturers are unlikely to regain access to the Russian market, according to the state corporation Rostec. The corporation emphasized the need to pursue a 100% share of domestically produced aircraft in Russian airline fleets.
"The scenario in which foreign aircraft manufacturers are allowed back into our market appears both unrealistic and lacking in patriotism. Experience has already proven that this path is highly unreliable. Boeing and Airbus have made their choice, and in Russian culture, it is not customary to trust those who have betrayed us. The only desirable ratio for the domestic aviation industry is 100% Russian-made aircraft in airline fleets. We must steadily work toward achieving this target. Naturally, during the transition period, the share of foreign aircraft may remain high, but it should decline as foreign planes are gradually phased out of service," Rostec said in a statement published on its Telegram channel.
As Rostec recalled, Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the goal of ensuring that domestically produced aircraft account for no less than 50% of airline fleets in Russia by 2030. "This means that foreign aircraft will be phased out and must be replaced by Russian-made airliners," the state corporation noted.
In response to a proposal to mandate Russian airlines to purchase domestic aircraft, Rostec emphasized that at present, Boeing, Airbus, and other foreign aircraft manufacturers are not supplying aircraft to Russia. "Russia has its own aviation industry and new domestically produced aircraft, the MC-21 and the Superjet 100, deliveries of which are expected to begin next year. These represent the future of Russian civil aviation," the corporation stated.
Earlier, Kommersant newspaper, citing Aeroflot CEO Sergey Alexandrovsky, reported that the airline had expressed support for making the purchase of domestically produced aircraft mandatory for carriers, should they gain access to foreign-made airliners.