Why the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency was replaced – Vedomosti

On September 15, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin dismissed Alexander Neradko from the post of head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, according to a message on the Cabinet website. Neradko headed the Federal Air Transport Agency (FAVT, Rosaviatsia) since 2009.

Neradko’s deputy, Dmitry Yadrov, has been appointed as the new head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, as follows from the same message. Yadrov was born in 1988, graduated from the St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation with a degree in air navigation services and airspace use engineer. After studying, he worked in various positions at the State Corporation for Air Traffic Management.

Yadrov moved to Rosaviation in 2019. As deputy head of the agency, he coordinated the activities of structural divisions of Rosaviation in the field of organizing the use of air traffic, flight operation and development of airfield infrastructure. Yadrov also “oversaw the implementation of the most important sectoral federal projects,” the government said in a statement.

“Neradko’s resignation has been actively discussed in recent months,” says Vedomosti’s source at one of the Russian airlines. His departure has been discussed for ten years, but over the past year Neradko has not done anything that would dramatically change the situation in the industry for the worse, retorted the interlocutor from a large Russian airport.

A third source at the Russian airline believes that Neradko’s main mistakes were of a strategic nature. “He did not create legislative conditions for effective aircraft maintenance in our country. To do this, it was necessary to finalize the Federal Aviation Rules in Part 21 (FAP-21, certification of aviation equipment, development organizations and manufacturers. – Vedomosti),” he notes.

According to the interlocutor, carriers approached Neradko with initiatives on this issue, but Rosaviatsia simply did not deal with this. It is because of this that in 2022, airlines and their subsidiaries had to take responsibility for fleet maintenance when Western providers refused to work in the Russian market after the introduction of Western sanctions, the source claims.

In a conversation with Vedomosti, he found it difficult to assess Yadrov’s potential as head of the Federal Air Transport Agency. “The head of the FAVT must be able to make decisions. Neradko was famous for the fact that he never made decisions and did not take responsibility for them. It’s too early to say how the new leader will cope with the new responsibilities,” the interlocutor believes.

The appointment of Dmitry Yadrov to the position of head of the FAVT will give a new impetus to the development of civil aviation in Russia, believes Aeroflot CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky. His words were reported by the company’s press service. “He has a huge amount of work ahead of him to maintain a high level of flight safety and airworthiness of the operating fleet, commission the latest domestic aircraft, develop airport infrastructure and air traffic,” Aleksandrovsky described.

General Director of the Airports of the Regions Management Company Evgeny Chudnovsky noted that Yadrov has done a lot to modernize regional airports, develop the air navigation system and improve flight safety. “We worked with Dmitry Yadrov on a comprehensive modernization of airport infrastructure, in particular during the construction and launch of terminals in Tobolsk and Novy Urengoy. I know him as a demanding professional and a person open to dialogue,” said Chudnovsky.

The chief expert of the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy of the Higher School of Economics, Fedor Borisov, considers the appointment of Dmitry Yadrov to the post of head of the Federal Air Transport Agency logical. “He dealt with the topic of unmanned aircraft, which has been actively developing in recent years and today remains one of the key ones for the department. He understands well how infrastructure needs to be developed and how the system as a whole should work. In addition, he is one of the leading professionals in the field of air traffic management with extensive practical experience,” says the expert.

Borisov also notes that during Neradko’s work as head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, a lot of positive things were done. In particular, under him, the industry was modernized, the air transport infrastructure was developed, and structures were created to manage small airports in remote areas. In critical situations, the Federal Air Transport Agency quickly responded to new challenges for the industry, he notes.