Rostec has made a proposal to create an airline in which Russian-made aircraft will be operated. This was announced by the industrial director of the aviation cluster of the Rostec state corporation, chairman of the board of directors of UAC (United Aircraft Corporation) Anatoly Serdyukov Anatoly Serdyukov.

“The UAC development program and the aviation industry as a whole are being updated. As part of this work, a proposal has been prepared to create a special airline. It will operate aircraft manufactured in Russia. We are talking about UAC airplanes, helicopters, UZGA products (Ural Civil Aviation Plant. - RT ), ”he said.

According to Serdyukov, we are talking about the development of the regional transportation market and increasing the mobility of Russians. The head of the UAC sees another advantage of creating such a company in the additional demand for the products of the aircraft building industry of the Russian Federation.

“An effective model is being developed for operating a fleet of domestic aircraft in various market segments. This means full technical support and a flexible financial ecosystem, including leasing instruments, ”he emphasized. “The model being created should demonstrate clearly that Russian aircraft can fly a lot, comfortably and safely.”

“The situation is absolutely abnormal”

Earlier, on January 14, President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to make proposals by the end of the month to create an airline that would use Russian technology and operate flights in the Far East and in remote areas.

This request was given following a meeting with members of the government on December 11. Then the main topic of discussion was the development of regional air transportation. Putin noted that often flights even within the same region pass through Moscow.

“This situation is absolutely abnormal. We have already said many times that it needs to be changed. In this regard, of course, it will be necessary to link the development of the route network in the constituent entities of the Federation with a comprehensive plan for the modernization and expansion of the trunk infrastructure as a whole, meaning the development of airports, passenger terminals, the construction of runways and so on, ”he said.

Among the regions that this concerns in the first place, the president named the Far East, regions of the Far North and Eastern Siberia. To develop routes in these areas, the head of state called for work on their profitability. At the same time, it is necessary that ticket prices be affordable for Russians, the president emphasized.

“Finally, we need to analyze the readiness of the industry to produce the necessary aircraft, airplanes, which should be competitive in the world market in price, quality, and safety requirements,” Putin said.

  • The building of the Iturup Airport
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  • © Sergey Krasnoukhov

“We plan to bring 60 airports in good condition”

It is worth noting that in Russia there are already some programs for the development of flights in the Far East. So, the authorities subsidize flights from this region for certain categories of citizens.

In 2020, 427 thousand Russians will be able to exercise this right. We are talking about flights from the Far East to Simferopol and Kaliningrad by Aeroflot and Siberia Airlines.

The preferential categories of citizens include all Russians under 23 years old, women over 55 and men over 60 years of age, as well as disabled people from childhood of group II or III, accompanying disabled children and parents with many children.

A total of 5.8 billion rubles was allocated for these purposes.

At the same time, in 2019, compared with 2018, the number of domestic Russian flights increased. According to the data of the Federal Air Transport Agency, they became 15.63% more - 939 thousand against 812 thousand.

Moreover, in recent years, additional funds have been allocated for the development of air transport infrastructure. In August, Vladimir Putin emphasized that until 2024, 267.5 billion rubles would be allocated for the modernization and expansion of the regional airport network.

“We plan to bring 60 airports to good regulatory condition for this six-year period,” the head of state said.