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Meeting with Government members

The President held a meeting with Government members via videoconference. The main topic was the development of air transport in the medium term. A number of current issues were reviewed at the start of the meeting.

February 7, 2024
16:45
The Kremlin, Moscow

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, deputy prime ministers Viktoria Abramchenko, Tatyana Golikova, Alexander Novak, Alexei Overchuk and Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister - Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister - Plenipotentiary Presidential Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev, Presidential Aide Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.

Also invited to the meeting were Minister of Labour and Social Protection Anton Kotyakov, Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Irek Faizullin, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Head of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service Maxim Shaskolsky, General Director of the State Transport Leasing Company Yevgeny Ditrikh, General Director of Rosseti Andrei Ryumin and Director-General of the United Aircraft Corporation Yury Slyusar.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,

We discussed several issues with the Prime Minister and other colleagues in the morning, and now we will talk in a broader format and on a specific issue that is important for the economy and our people - the transport sector.

But, before we start, let's discuss some current issues. The first one concerns the development of the Eastern Operating Domain. It is also more or less directly related to what we will be discussing, although we will mostly talk about aviation. But it is also part of the transport sector.

In this context, we must increase freight figures in the Far East. This year, the total should be 180 million tonnes, reaching 210 million tonnes by the end of 2030.

To reach these targets, we must resolve a number of issues, including the electrification of the Eastern Operating Domain. We have definite plans and are working toward this.

Mr Novak, how far along is this work right now?

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Vladimir Putin: Colleagues,

As I said in the beginning of this meeting, I suggest that we dwell on a matter of special importance for our transport sector and for everyone in Russia, as well as for making the country more interconnected and raising the quality of life for our people. We will discuss efforts to develop air travel, as I have already said.

Last year, Russian air carriers served over 105 million passengers, up 10.7 percent year-on-year, which exceeded our expectations since we projected a figure of about 103 million people.

Almost 83 million people took domestic flights, and passenger traffic in this segment increased 13 percent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 2019.

I would like to thank our air carriers, their crews and people working at the airports for this result and for their coordinated work. Let me add that the fact that we achieved this level in terms of passenger traffic means that our regions and cities are becoming increasingly popular as tourist destinations, and that our economy has been operating on a stable footing.

Of course, we need to keep this momentum going in the aviation sector and to make sure that this extremely important element of modern transport continues to develop. Considering how vast Russia is, as we all know, and its huge territory, this is doubly important, if not more.

Therefore, apart from projected passenger numbers, at this meeting I would like to hear what kind of measures we have in store for improving infrastructure in the aviation sector, as well as for expanding and upgrading our air fleet. This is not an easy task, as I am fully aware, but still, we must be proactive, while also ensuring that air travel is more affordable for our people.

I would like to emphasise the importance of airfares. It is essential that we prevent excessive price hikes without compromising service quality or flight safety. This must be a priority for air carriers, the Ministry of Transport and other relevant agencies.

Next. We are developing airfield infrastructure, including runways, communication stations, weather stations and equipment. In the past six years, 33 pieces of infrastructure have been completed and opened in Russia, including 19 runways. Thirteen more facilities will be opened before the end of this year.

I would like to ask you to report specifically on further plans to strengthen airfield infrastructure, considering its current state, and plans to develop aviation operations, including domestic and inter-regional operations. I also expect to hear proposals on funding mechanisms for this type of projects. It is important to make sure that the additional financial load does not result in airfare hikes.

Of course, we are focused on developing civil aircraft engineering here in Russia. I have already mentioned it briefly. It is a serious and technology-intensive industry that requires special attention. Only several countries in the world are capable of releasing modern aircraft, and Russia is one of them.

We have ambitious plans ready. Please tell me about their progress. I certainly know the general state of the industry; however, the goal of this meeting is to concentrate on several issues that need our particular attention. Therefore, I would like to hear about cooperation in engine technology and the manufacturing of other modules, materials and components. Also, I would like to know more about the delivery timeline for the airplanes.

We already have certain plans mapped out and I would like to hear about their progress.

I want to stress once again that Russian aircraft must comply with all existing standards concerning quality, flight comfort and safety. They must have globally competitive technical specifications and be delivered to airline companies as agreed and without delays.

Once again, our aviation industry, our citizens and our economy need these planes. I expect that the Government, Rostec, our aircraft manufacturers and financial bodies will work together effectively.

Let's begin. We have two speakers today, Mr Savelyev and Mr Manturov.

Please, go ahead.

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