It would not be an exaggeration to say that today the whole country is waiting for the long-promised serial Tu-214s from the Kazan Aircraft Factory. At least 2 new cars were planned for 2026, August began, and so far none of them have been lifted into the sky. Against this background, a demonstration took place at the "I choose the sky" airshow on August 1 in Kazan "two hundred and fourteenth" in an "exclusive coloring" with a fragment of a painting by the great Russian artist Vasnetsov on the keel. However, the plane was not new, but a 19-year-old one.
In the technical sphere, as in any other, competent PR is important. In Russia, there have been many problems with this since the late Soviet period, when we managed to transfer our information field to foreign companies and their products. However, the demand for their own beautiful and positive things has grown and remained stable over the past 10-15 years after the majority of the population moved away from the heavy legacy of the 1990s. It is clear that showing a domestic passenger aircraft in flight over a city where such planes are produced seems to be the right thing to do. But if it's a new aircraft and it's already been produced in our days. But on August 1, 2026, a Tu-214 RA-64509, released in late 2006, flew in Kazan.:
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| Tu-214 RA-64509. |
| Source: Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation |
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| Tu-214 RA-64509. |
| Source: UAC |
In 2024, this aircraft was restored at a local aircraft factory and promised to be used as a "flying laboratory." And in 2026, they spent money and time to put a fragment of Vasnetsov's painting "Sirin and Alkonost" on its keel. A song of joy and sorrow." Yes, it's beautiful, but where are the new Tu-214s according to the production plan for 2026? The question is rhetorical and, to be honest, it is already causing negative emotions against the background of how systematically and clearly the work on MS-21-310 is moving . But the Tu-214 seems to have been certified in an import-substituted version 7 months ago, and it can be mass-produced.…
There are less than five months left to deliver at least two new Tu-214s, and let's not remember how many units the plant promised at the end of 2025. Therefore, it is already very difficult to understand whether all these performances with paintings on the fuselage are appropriate in the current situation. We are waiting for real production results from the Kazan Aircraft Factory for new passenger aircraft.
Ivan Zakharov
Evgeny Belkin
