Prime Minister to supervise Russian aircraft industry
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Ulyanovsk yesterday was totally devoted to civil aircraft building. The Prime Minister visited the Aviastar aircraft factory, examining the Antonov An-124 and Tupolev Tu-204 airliners produced there. Mr Putin highlighted that import duties on foreign-made aircraft could be reduced if domestic plane makers are unable to speed up aircraft production.
First, the Prime Minister visited the Aviastar assembly hall, which became the main assembly facility of the UABC (United Aircraft Building Corporation) last year, specialising in production of An-124s and Tu-204s.
Nina Yerakhtina, head of the local trade union committee, welcomed Mr Putin saying, "The [aircraft] industry is reviving." "Not too fast so far," the Prime Minister noticed, adding that the wages should be increased, citing the current figure of 11,000 roubles. "The pay has already been increased to 12,334 roubles," Nina Yerakhtina noted.
After watching the assembly process, Mr Putin went outside to see the four completed aircraft. Inside a giant An-124 cargo plane, a special plasma screen presentation was held for the Prime Minister, featuring the routes serviced by aircraft of this model and the characteristics of the new economic zone being created around the local airport. Local employees remarked that state orders are needed, complaining that Russia lacks aircraft maintenance facilities. Leaving the An-124, Vladimir Putin came up to a Tu-204 passenger airliner with a Cuban logo on it. Representatives from Cuban aircraft companies were already waiting nearby.
"Well, do you like it?" the Prime Minister wondered. "Yes, very much," the Cubans replied, standing near one of the four planes they had recently purchased. "I know your country was troubled by a hurricane. I believe you will overcome this," Vladimir Putin said.
During a meeting held on Aviastar premises, the Prime Minister continued to discuss civil aviation issues, saying that recent passenger flight delays revealed how important the issue of domestic aviation is for Russia.
"Today, we heard the trade union representative say that the industry is experiencing a revival. It was an encouraging thing to hear, and some things have no doubt changed since the industry's hardest times, but we are nonetheless still far from success."
According to Mr Putin, the industry has just started to overcome the crisis. Last year, only six planes were manufactured, and 15 aircraft were scheduled to be built this year, but "even that modest task was not accomplished." "Such modest production levels will not even make a blip on the radar screen - not only on the international market, but even on our domestic market," the Prime Minister concluded, adding that "it is high time Russian plane makers stopped saying that they are ready to manufacture almost anything."
Vladimir Putin announced that he would supervise the industry through the Chief Designer Council, which is to be established soon, adding that import duties on foreign-made aircraft could be reduced if Russian plane makers "fail to speed up production".
The Prime Minister called for consideration of a restructuring of the UABC. "We need enterprises to give us new resources, not just new debts," Mr Putin said, citing the recent flight delays and adding that nobody is going to wait forever for new Russian planes to come to the market amid tough global competition.
"Figuratively, the ‘runway' for the Russian aircraft industry to ‘take off' is very short," Mr Putin concluded.