The Kazan Aviation Plant, a subdivision of Tupolev and a subsidiary of Rostec’s United Aircraft Corporation, will be unable to manufacture and supply four medium-range Tu-214 aircraft to airlines by the end of 2025. The plant is named after S.P. Gorbunov (KAZ). Two sources who are acquainted with KAZ’s production strategies informed Vedomosti of this. The Comprehensive Civil Aviation Development Program is the strategic document that defines the aircraft delivery strategy until 2030.
KAZ will finish the assembly of one aircraft, which started last year, and commence construction of a second aircraft of the same type in 2025, according to one of the sources. The source says a lack of engineering staff at the facility is the main obstacle to Tu-214 production.
Another source informed Vedomosti that the facility currently houses two aircraft. One aircraft has been in final assembly since 2024, while the other is a restored aircraft that was previously stowed and is now being used as a flight test laboratory.
According to one of the sources, a VIP configuration aircraft with registration number RA-64535, which is nearly finished, has been dispatched to Minsk for painting.
In an interview with the corporate magazine On the Wings of Tu last summer, Konstantin Timofeev, First Deputy General Director of UAC and Managing Director of Tupolev, indirectly confirmed that the company was falling behind the targets established in the aviation plan. He stated that the original goal was to manufacture four Tu-214 aircraft in 2024. Nevertheless, it was evident that these aircraft were still in the early phases of the production cycle, which requires a minimum of two years, after examining the labor-intensive nature of the process. Timofeev also identified obstacles in inter-industry collaboration, which led to KAZ managing 90% of Tu-214 manufacturing internally.
According to a Rostec representative, the production of the Tu-214 at KAZ focused on a limited series for special government consumers in early 2022 rather than passenger aircraft for airlines. He clarified that airlines had not placed bookings for such aircraft but had instead chosen to acquire foreign aircraft. Red Wings is the sole commercial operator of this aircraft type, and it presently maintains a fleet of three Tu-214s. Furthermore, import substitution has resulted in a substantial difference between the current iteration of the Tu-214 and those manufactured before 2022.
However, the situation has changed since then. Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov told Expert magazine that the Tu-214 has firm orders. “The bulk of these will be MC-21s, Superjets, and Tu-214s, for which we have already guaranteed buyers. And we continue to work with airlines, so this number will likely grow,” he said optimistically.
Delivery of the Tu-214, as well as other domestic aircraft subject to regulation by the aviation plan, has been subject to repeated delays. The most recent, third revision of the state program specifies the production of 113 Tu-214s between 2024 and 2030. It initially intended to deliver one aircraft in 2024, four in 2025, seven in 2026, 17 in 2027, and 28 annually from 2028 to 2030.
Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov guaranteed in February 2025 that Tu-214 deliveries would be made in the volumes approved by the aviation plan in 2025.
First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov stated in March that the government would be prepared to revise the CCADP following the certification of import-substituted versions of the MC-21 and SJ-100 aircraft, which is anticipated to occur by the end of the year.
A source from Vedomosti who is well-versed in the ministry’s plans has verified that the delivery schedules of civil aircraft will be postponed as a result of the aviation plan amendments. He said the new Tu-214 delivery timelines will be in accordance with the completion of KAZ’s modernization in 2026-2027. He did not provide any additional information, stating that the Ministry of Transport has not yet approved the updated plan.
The modernization of the Kazan Aviation Plant was anticipated to cost 92 billion rubles by the then-UAC General Director, Yuri Slyusar, who is currently the acting governor of the Rostov region, at the beginning of 2024.
The Tu-214 has garnered the interest of at least six airlines. An agreement was signed between Aeroflot and Rostec in 2022 to acquire 339 Russian aircraft by 2031, including 40 Tu-214s. However, Aeroflot CEO Sergey Alexandrovsky subsequently announced that the order would prioritize the MC-21.
In 2023, the Yakutia government signed an agreement with Tupolev to acquire 12 Tu-214 aircraft for Yakutia Airlines. S7 executed a memorandum with UAC in 2024 to negotiate the delivery of 100 Tu-214s in the future. IrAero has expressed interest in purchasing nine Tu-214s by 2035, while UVT Aero intends to acquire four by the end of 2026.
Furthermore, the State Transport Leasing Company executed an agreement with UAC in September 2024 to supply 132 Russian aircraft, comprised of 41 Tu-214s, between 2027 and 2032.
At present, no airline has placed a formal order for the Tu-214 and is unable to acquire it, according to a Rostec representative. He announced the scheduled delivery of two Tu-214s in 2025, and their deployment in commercial operations will follow the established timeline.
According to a source, the majority of the confirmed Tu-214 orders are from government consumers, with a small number of leasing companies also participating. “The number of aircraft available for commercial operation remains limited.” This suggests, in “our opinion,” that the market is just beginning to gain momentum. He stated that airlines have not yet taken substantial action, although there is discussion regarding the demand for Russian aircraft. The Tu-214 will be extensively promoted in the market, and Rostec intends to enhance its engagement with airlines.
Initially, the plan was to use the Tu-214 as a temporary solution until the bulk production of the MC-21 began. However, it’s evident that the Tu-214 project is experiencing delays, despite the continued viability of Boeing and Airbus aircraft. The airlines have devised methods to service and maintain these aircraft in violation of sanctions.
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