Russian aircraft manufacturers have delivered only one of 15 planned commercial aircraft this year. Sanctions on foreign components are delaying production, and high interest rates are limiting investment. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
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It is noted that since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, Western sanctions have blocked access to foreign aircraft and spare parts.
With a fleet of over 700 aircraft, dominated by Airbus and Boeing models, Russian airlines are now forced to seek critical components through complex and indirect import routes.
There is no component base, no technology, no production facilities, no engineers. Creating all this from scratch will take years, if not decades
It is noted that recent serious incidents highlight the urgent need to maintain the condition of the Russian fleet. Thus, at the end of July, an An-24 aircraft, built in 1976, crashed in the Far East of Russia. A few days later, the national carrier "Aeroflot" suspended dozens of flights after a powerful cyberattack.
According to Reuters, the aviation sector's problems with achieving self-sufficiency are part of a broader industrial slowdown.
According to purchasing managers' index data, Russia's industrial production contracted in July at the fastest pace since March 2022, and industrial growth continues to slow.
High interest rates have affected reduced car production, bankruptcies in the coal sector, a slowdown in export volumes of goods such as metals and oil products, and unmet targets for aircraft production, as officials and businesses state, contributing to slower economic growth.