The Russian aviation industry will aim to produce 1,000 aircraft by 2030 alone, without the help of the West, using domestically produced parts, and this, as stated by the giant state aviation group Rostec, is aimed at ending dependence on the American Boeing and the European Airbus. As reported in an exclusive report by the Reuters news agency, statements by Rostec, which is run by a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, show that the country’s aviation industry views the confrontation with the West as a permanent split. Rostec is also the only manufacturer of civil aviation aircraft in the country. The Western imposition of the most severe sanctions in modern history over the war in Ukraine caused the most massive changes in the Russian economy since the collapse of the USSR.

Foreign-made aircraft, mostly Boeing and Airbus, account for 95% of passenger traffic, but the sanctions mean there are no spare parts — and no prospect of finding them. In August, Reuters reported that Russian carriers, including state-owned Aeroflot, were taking apart planes to gain access to parts they could no longer buy abroad due to Western sanctions. But Rostec, headed by Sergei Chemezov, sees the unrest as an opportunity to build a strong self-sustaining aviation industry in Russia. “Foreign aircraft will be withdrawn from the fleet,” Rostec said in a written response to questions from Reuters about its plans and the state of Russia’s aviation industry. “We believe this process is irreversible and Boeing and Airbus aircraft will never be sold to Russia again.”

Russian airlines, including Aeroflot, were inundated with Boeings and Airbuses as they rebuilt their fleets after the chaos of the 1990s, and creating a competitive domestic alternative will be difficult. According to aerospace analyst Richard Abulafia, head of the US company AeroDynamic Advisory, the goal of building 1,000 aircraft by 2030 is “virtually impossible.” According to a plan released by the government in June, Russia plans to produce 20 aircraft, known as Superjet-News, annually from 2024 and 72 new medium-haul MS-21s from 2029, starting with six in 2024. He is testing his new MC-21 aircraft with a domestically produced PD-14 engine instead of the supplied Pratt & Whitney PW1400G. Finally, the MS-21 was Russia’s attempt to break into the mainstream jet market, which was dominated by Airbus and Boeing.