Aeroflots CEO Advocates for Regulating Aircraft Ownership to Boost Domestic Manufacturing in Response to Sanctions

The head of Aeroflot, Russia’s leading airline, stated that the government should regulate the proportion of domestic versus foreign aircraft to support its ambitious plans for local manufacturing and to navigate wartime sanctions.

Aeroflot’s fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft has faced numerous challenges following the U.S. and EU’s prohibition on supplying planes and parts to Russia in response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

During that summer, Russia revealed its intention to produce over 1,000 civilian aircraft by 2030. However, in the three years since, the actual output has remained in the single digits due to delays and production difficulties.

Sergei Alexandrovsky, Aeroflot’s CEO, expressed to the business publication Kommersant that the airline has successfully adjusted to the imposed sanctions.

«We have made substantial changes and enhancements to our forecasts. I cannot dismiss the possibility of further increasing our projections in the future,» he stated.

Aeroflot’s optimism hinges on a mutual understanding within Russia’s aviation sector regarding the necessity for an effective fleet of aircraft currently under development, Alexandrovsky remarked.

«Even if opportunities arise to access international markets and foreign aircraft supplies, the balance between Russian and Western planes must be strictly regulated by the government,» he told Kommersant.

He acknowledged the “growing pains” associated with domestic aircraft but suggested that these issues could be “resolved” through the gradual introduction of the new Yakovlev MC-21 and Superjet fleets.

«Realistically, we won’t receive 100 new planes all at once,» he noted, also recognizing that other airlines might resist such protectionist measures, given their reliance on Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

«However, whether they approve or not isn’t the main concern,» he emphasized. «What’s at stake is the future of Russia’s aviation sector and the returns on the investments made by the state in developing new, modern domestic aircraft.»

«We are fully confident that our industry will rise to meet the high standards it has set for itself.»