The fully domestic Tu-214 aircraft will go on sale for the first time
This year, airlines will be able to commission the first fully domestic civil aircraft, the Tu-214. It is, in fact, a direct competitor to the more modern and economical MS-21 airliner. Why does Russia need two planes in almost the same market segment?
The first deliveries of fully domestic Tu-214 aircraft are expected in 2025, and the MC-21 in 2026, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov said at the NAIS forum.
"This year, the first Tu-214s will be delivered within the framework of the plans approved in the comprehensive program," the minister said. According to him, seven main types of aircraft are currently in various stages of certification work.
The Tu-214 is essentially a more outdated competitor to the latest MS-21. This airliner has been produced since 1996 at the Kazan Aviation Plant.
However, in 2022, the question arose about the need to replace all imported parts on this aircraft. The big plus is that the Tu-214 initially consisted of 87% domestic components, which is why it was operated by the special flight detachment Rossiya, which transports top government officials and law enforcement agencies. There were few imported parts – about 13%, and these were simple components. And so the foreign parts were replaced, and last year the fully import-substituted Tu-214 made its first flight. After the completion of certification, which is expected this year, nothing will interfere with the mass production of such airliners.
From the point of view of safety, the aircraft meets all modern requirements, but it is much inferior to the MC-21 and, accordingly, to the Boeing and Airbus analogues in terms of efficiency. The Tu-214 consumes more fuel, there is an outdated avionics control system, the aircraft is piloted by three rather than two pilots, as in modern airliners, etc. All this creates additional costs.
Why is Russia planning to produce both of these aircraft, rather than focus on one – the latest and modern MC-21?
In fact, there are reasons for this. First of all, the Tu-214 has been flying for a long time and has already conquered the aviation market, unlike the new MC-21, which they are just promising to start producing for commercial use, and the deadlines are postponed due to sanctions.
"The Tu-214 was created earlier, but several dozen have already been produced, and many of them have been flying for a long time, transporting people and cargo. The production of these aircraft has long been completed, parts and assemblies are being produced for them, personnel are being trained for the operation and maintenance of the aircraft, and many airfields in Russia and other countries can accept it. The PD-90 engine is installed on this aircraft, which is proven and reliable. All this creates good prospects for its continued use, including for the creation of various special boards," says Dmitry Baranov, a leading expert at Finam Management Management Company.
The Tu-214 is still actively operated by various federal agencies and state-owned companies, in particular, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and SLO Rossiya. And they can continue to purchase this aircraft, the expert adds.
"It is important that this aircraft consists of domestic components, which means that there is no need for import substitution of individual elements for it," says Baranov.
In the context of the sanctions blockade of the Russian air transportation market and the lack of access to any Western aircraft and aircraft parts, it is really short-sighted to abandon the "workhorse", which was not difficult to transfer completely to domestic components. In the world, no one makes airplanes alone, it's always a collaboration of manufacturers from different countries.
Russia is a unique country in this regard, largely, of course, because of the sanctions, as it has to create completely domestic airliners. No one has ever taken this path before.,
therefore, unexpected obstacles may arise. Right now, every one of our planes counts, even if it is economically inferior to its Western counterparts.
The second reason why the Tu-214 remains afloat is the high demand for replacement of Western medium–haul aircraft. At the same time, the MS-21 alone simply cannot physically cover this demand. Plans for its release lag behind the needs of airlines. The market already needs much more of this type of aircraft, but a completely new aircraft will not be produced until 2026, a year later than previously planned. Sanctions and the need to import even composite materials prevented this.
In addition, it is impossible to immediately reach the design production volume, especially when it comes to a completely new aircraft. The number of production vehicles will grow gradually every year. Previously, we wanted the production volume of the MC-21 to grow from 12 aircraft per year in 2025 to 72 aircraft per year in 2030. Now the plans can be safely shifted forward a year.
At the same time, it is already a serious challenge for Russia to produce such a large number of aircraft per year. Modern Russia as a whole has never produced so many civilian aircraft. In the 2000s, no more than 20 aircraft per year were assembled in Russia. There were some years in the 2010s when volumes grew, for example, 35 civilian aircraft were assembled in 2013, but it was not possible to keep this level for a long time. It was only during the Soviet years that there were such high production rates of 100 or more aircraft per year.
"While the MC-21 is being rolled out on the assembly line, any aircraft in the medium-haul segment will be required to replace foreign aircraft. Therefore, airlines will be happy to take both. Especially since there's no other way anyway.",
– said the CEO of the Avia industry portal.<url>" Roman Gusarov.
Thus, the Tu-214 will become an aid for those airlines that will not be able to receive the MC-21. The Tu-214 will cover the shortage of medium-haul aircraft due to the need to replace foreign counterparts. For example, the Tu-214 can be purchased for charter flights to Turkey and Egypt.
Moreover, the Tu-214 can fly longer distances than the MC-21, so it may even close the gap in long-haul aircraft for a while, Roman Gusarov notes.
When the manufacturers of the MC-21 are able to meet the demand of all airlines in this car, then air carriers will be able to switch from the Tu-214 to the more economical MC-21, and the "carcasses" will leave commercial aviation back to the state aviation.
The third factor in favor of maintaining and increasing the volume of production of the Tu-214 is its export potential. "The Tu-214 may be in demand by foreign customers, primarily the countries of the Global South and Asian countries. So the Tu-214 is not an "outdated competitor" – it is in many ways a different aircraft in terms of its parameters, and it is rather an addition to the as-yet non–existent MS-21," says Dmitry Baranov.
Olga Samofalova
