In a surprising turn of events, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not received aviation updates from Sergei Chemezov, the CEO of Rostec, the nation’s defense conglomerate, according to an investigative report released on Tuesday.
This marks the first time since 2020 that Chemezov did not brief Putin on the state of Russia’s civil aviation. The publication Agentstvo suggests that Chemezov may have been avoiding the awkward situation of having to report ongoing delays in replacing Western passenger aircraft with domestically produced models.
Following the war’s escalation, U.S. sanctions have impacted Russian-operated planes, as aircraft manufacturers halted the supply of spare parts and new airplanes. Meanwhile, the U.S. and EU have requested the return of leased aircraft, prompting the Kremlin to encourage airlines to re-register these planes within Russia. This maneuver has resulted in continued operations without essential software updates and maintenance checks, critical for ensuring safety, as reported by Bloomberg in March 2023.
Notably, the last in-person meeting between Putin and Chemezov occurred in December after the Russian leader pledged to manufacture over 1,000 new Russian civilian aircraft by 2030. “Our fleet of aircraft is very overloaded … with foreign-made planes,” Putin stated, reaffirming the need for more domestic production.
Shortly after his announcement, 283 billion rubles (approximately $3.1 billion) were allocated to Rostec for the job. However, data reveal that between September and early December 2023, there were 60 incidents in Russian commercial aviation, including emergency landings and malfunctioning engines.
A notable incident occurred earlier this month when a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed near Moscow shortly after takeoff, resulting in the tragic deaths of three crew members. The aircraft, which was en route from the Lukhovitsy aviation plant to Vnukovo airport, reportedly experienced engine failures.