Sanctions are working: The government of the Russian Federation recognized the disruption of the plan for the production of aircraft engines

The Russian government has decided to reduce the production plan for engines developed by local specialists, which were to replace imported ones under sanctions.

According to the updated plan, instead of 192 engines for Russian SSJ-100, MS-21 and Tu-214 aircraft, aircraft manufacturers will receive only 128 in the next two years, writes the Russian newspaper “Izvestia” with reference to the draft resolution of the Russian government.

According to the explanatory note to the document, in In 2025, it is planned to assemble only 24 engines (six PD-8, seven PD-14 and 11 PS-90), and in 2026 – 104 units (44 PD-8, 28 P-14 and 32 PS-90).

At the same time, in 2024, the Russian United Engine Corporation was already supposed to transfer 12 PD-14 power plants to customers, but it assembled only two, and the PD-8 engine has not yet passed certification.

“PD-8 engines are designed for import-substituted SSJ-100s (two per aircraft). PD-14 power plants are used for MS-21-310s (two per aircraft), and PS-90A engines are used for Tu-214s (two per aircraft) and Il-96-300s (four per ship)”, – explained Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Russian agency “Aviaporta”.

Thus, according to him, by the end of 2026, Russia can produce only up to 25 SSJ-New aircraft and up to 17 MS-21 multi-purpose airliners.

Can Russia produce aircraft independently?

As reported, at the end of November, the Russian state-owned “United Aircraft Corporation” fired two directors of the largest aircraft factories involved in the program to build aircraft that would replace foreign airliners under sanctions. In particular, the general director of PJSC “Yakovlev” (engaged in the production of Sukhoi Superjet airliners) and the director of JSC “Tupolev” lost their positions.

The plan prepared by the Russian government for the development of its own aircraft production envisages that Russia should produce 40 civilian airliners this year. By 2026, production volumes should increase to 120 aircraft per year, by 2028 – to 200, and in 2030, it was planned to start producing 230 airliners annually. This would correspond to the indicators of the USSR in the second half of the 1970s.

According to the program, last year Russian carriers were to receive two import-substituted Sukhoi Superjets and three Tu-214 airliners, and this year – 20 machines of the first type, seven – of the second, as well as 6 regional MC-21 airliners and two turboprop Il-114 -300. In fact, the Russian aviation industry was able to produce two Tu-214s and one Il-96-300.

Therefore, the Russian government decided to radically cut the aviation industry development program. In 2025, instead of the planned 82 aircraft, only 20 aircraft are now expected to be produced. The plan for 2026 has been reduced from 120 airliners to 97, for 2027 – from 180 to 140.

Meanwhile, Russian airlines began to lose aircraft from Western manufacturers due to sanctions, which limited the supply of new airliners to the country and prohibited the maintenance of existing ones.

According to Rosaviatsia, from the end of October 2023 to June 26, 2024, the number of airworthy airliners in the fleet of the 13 largest Russian airlines decreased by 3% – to 693 aircraft.