Russian Industry and Trade Ministry to work on lowering prices of aircraft produced - Alikhanov

MOSCOW. July 1 (Interfax) - The Russian Industry and Trade Ministry plans to work on making civilian aircraft cheaper by lowering the cost of components, minister Anton Alikhanov said at a meeting of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy.

"Once we have completed the certification process [of planes], there will also be a major repricing program - we are going to negotiate with component suppliers to lower their prices, so that we can make prices more competitive on both domestic and export markets," Alikhanov said.

The minister also said that it was essential to adjust the Integrated Program for the Development of the Russian Aircraft Industry (KPGA) to 2030, which details production plans for Russian-manufactured aircraft. As reported previously, these changes are scheduled to be added by the end of 2025.

"The KPGA most likely needs to be corrected - there is a certain shift to the right, but this is the objective reality caused by the complexity of the task," Alikhanov said.

The program was approved in 2022 and subsequently adjusted twice. In the current published edition, it stipulates the production of 994 civilian aircraft by 2030, including 592 manufactured by PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC): 142 SJ-100 aircraft, 270 MC-21, 51 Il-114-300, 115 Tu-214 and 14 Il-96-300. Sergei Chemezov, CEO of UAC's owner Rostec, said that the program could be adjusted again this year "in line with the plans and capabilities of airlines". He told journalists that the UAC should produce at least 200 aircraft by 2030.