Putin: thanks to the sanctions, Russia itself will produce engines for civil aviation

Russia has not produced competitive civil aviation engines since Soviet times, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with leaders of leading engineering schools. Now, against the backdrop of sanctions, the country needs to improve the quality of engines for domestic aircraft, Mr. Putin said, his words are quoted on website Kremlin.

“All the things I just said about the fact that it’s easier to buy than to make yourself. As soon as we start buying, the market is immediately closed for its manufacturer, because we have not produced competitive aircraft engines for civil aviation since Soviet times,” the president said.

“There would be no happiness here, but misfortune helped,” Vladimir Putin commented on the effect of sanctions on the aviation industry.

He recalled that there were planes left in Russia that were leased, but the president wondered how much more they could fly: “A year, two, three?” By that time, we will need our own aircraft, which we have, but which need to be improved in terms of quality, primarily in terms of propulsion systems, the President of the Russian Federation said. “If we don’t do it ourselves, it will never appear,” Vladimir Putin said, noting that developments to improve quality are needed now.

In response to the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the European Union introduced sanctions against the Russian aviation industry, which deprived Russian airlines of the opportunity to use European aircraft. New deliveries, as well as maintenance and insurance of all aircraft, were banned, and aircraft already leased under old contracts had to be returned to the lessor within a month.

Follow the situation in Ukraine at online broadcasts “b”.

Maria Fedotova