Russian Aviation 2025: Full Throttle in Reverse
Kazan Aviation Plant promised to build three Tu-214 passenger jets this year. In reality, it will manage just one. Yes, one single aircraft, and even that will go straight to testing before anyone dares call it operational.
The good news? It’s said to be entirely domestically produced. The bad news? In Russia, “domestic” often means half the parts are under sanctions and the other half still exist only on paper.
One Plane, Many Problems
Sources suggest the lone Tu-214 should attempt its first test flight by mid-November, assuming no one forgets to attach the wheels. Meanwhile, a new production plan is already being drafted, likely to achieve about as much as the last one.
Experts warn that real serial production would require a complete redesign of the aircraft. Translated from bureaucratic to real-world terms, that means a functioning factory, trained workers, and parts that actually exist.
A Fleet in Decline
Adding to the irony, the Western-built jets that Russia effectively seized at the start of the war are now slowly deteriorating, while the country’s airlines need at least 1,000 new aircraft in the coming years. But as officials might say, one is still a number.
The Tu-214 itself is a relic resurrected by necessity, a project long buried for being outdated, now dusted off in a hurry to fill the widening gap left by sanctions. Progress, it seems, is moving at full speed, just in reverse.
