To order does not mean to marry – Newspaper Kommersant No. 157 (7358) of 08/27/2022

On August 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the head of the Aeroflot company, Sergei Aleksandrovsky, who, according to a special correspondent for Kommersant, Andrey Kolesnikov, shared with the head of state an unusual and bewitching breadth of plans in modern times.

The skies that Russia can afford to explore shrank like shagreen leather this February, and it seemed that it would never recover to its former size. It didn’t settle down, the country’s southern airports have been closed for many months, like Western European ones (for Russia), but it’s no longer necessary. In order to rush up, and not in breadth, as it turned out, Sergei Aleksandrovsky had to come to Aeroflot.

And now it is obvious: if such a person as Marat Khusnullin (Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.— “b”), but Sergei Alexandrovsky reigns supreme in the sky.

I think that before the meeting, of course, he was briefed by those who understand this. And the main idea of ​​the briefings was that the president and the country now need good news.

Otherwise, how could it have occurred to say about the state of the country’s largest airline what Sergey Alexandrovsky said at the very beginning:

— In general, I assess the situation very positively and stably, especially within the framework of 2022!

This, let me remind you, is about planes that a few months ago stood up tightly, and before that they simply did not fly during the pandemic for two years.

But now it’s not the same:

— We fly actively thanks to government support measures, first of all, of course, your support, Vladimir Vladimirovich, and the government of the Russian Federation.

In a literal two words and in one phrase – and about the president about what is always in place, and about the government, and about state support, and about “actively flying”.

– In addition to subsidies, – said Sergey Aleksandrovsky, – in terms of passenger traffic, this is 50 billion, more subsidies were allocated for the return of tickets of the Aeroflot group – 15 billion (rubles – “b”), we have already received 12.5 billion! It was also decided to increase the authorized capital of Aeroflot Group, Aeroflot directly, in order to close our debts under letters of credit, we also discussed this at our meetings. All these measures, in my opinion, are sufficient, effective and exhaustive for Aeroflot Group. We have received all the necessary support from the state!

By God, despite the fact that you, as it seems to you, represent the general situation and are critical of any words about everything without exception, and even more so to the words in this office, it was a pleasure to listen to Sergei Aleksandrovsky.

I didn’t want to resist. I just wanted to be on the same wavelength with him. Or rather, frequency.

“Despite the fact that a number of southern airports have been closed,” he said, “we have redirected demand to alternative destinations that are in demand. We now fly to 111 destinations, which is 18 destinations more than in 2021. In a number of areas, we have significantly increased our volumes, for example, in the Moscow-St. Petersburg direction from 31 frequencies daily to 45 frequencies. In Sochi we increased from 15 to 25 daily frequencies, in Minvody — from two to eight daily frequencies!

It would seem that with an increase in frequencies there is no justification for prices, but this is absolutely not the case.

“Including measures of support from the state, we were allowed to both maintain and retain the price offer for our citizens,” Sergei Aleksandrovsky explained. “Everyone predicted that there would be an increase in the cost of passenger transportation in 2022. This did not happen! Moreover, for Aeroflot, relative to 2021 by 2022, we note a decrease to 10% by 2021, and by 2019 – by 21%, which in the current conditions, of course, is very much in demand by our citizens!

Apparently, the citizens lost their nerve, and in the end they flew wherever their eyes looked. Their eyes looked, of course, to the south in summer.

“Our most efficient company is the low-cost carrier Pobeda: it has an average load of 95%, as in previous years,” said the head of Aeroflot. “But I can note that Aeroflot is also very different this year. high occupancy during the summer months. Now it is somewhere between 91-95%. For Aeroflot, this is a very high load.

Here it came all the same, it seems, and before the problems. But no, it didn’t. Because they don’t exist.

– How do you assess the medium term? Mr Putin asked.

I thought Mr. Aleksandrovsky would tell in detail how the company would dismantle one aircraft so that another would fly: where they would start, from the tail or wings, and how they would finish … But nothing like that:

– Now our main focus will be on preparing domestic aircraft for operation. Our strategy is now being updated, but it is already fully synchronized with the comprehensive program for the development of the transport industry until 2030,” said the head of Aeroflot. in a new look, with Russian engines, imported aircraft, as well as 40 Tu-214 aircraft.

— Such an order has not been for a long time! — even Mr. Putin, no doubt, ready in general for what Mr. Aleksandrovsky has to say (after all, he was also briefed.— A.K.) was impressed.

All this looked meanwhile win-win. And there’s nothing that the MS-21 still doesn’t really exist, especially with Russian engines (which, however, exist, although they are still not certified), and there are too many questions for the Sukhoi Superjet, which is certainly not the standard for import substitution (for example, I have only one: why is there only one toilet in such a large, albeit medium-haul aircraft?). The order will be placed. True, after that it will have to be executed.

But until 2030.

And in this office the tasks of today were solved. Or rather, yesterday.

So Vladimir Putin in the same office was once promised that by 2015 fifth-generation fighter jets would appear in the Russian troops.

— It certainly is! – Mr. Alexandrovsky agreed. – There were no such orders, in my memory there were definitely none!

The main thing is that everyone here was very impressed with each other.

Andrey Kolesnikov