Aeroflot’s CEO, Sergey Alexandrovsky, has called for limitations to be imposed on the use of Western-made aircraft by Russian airlines.
In an interview with Russian financial newspaper Kommersant, which was published on June 5, 2025, the head of Aeroflot suggested that a quota of domestically produced aircraft should be exacted on all Russian airlines.
According to the airline boss, this measure will guarantee that a minimum volume of production is achieved. Larger production runs will ensure better manufacturing quality and help to address any potential technical issues with new aircraft, such as the Russian-made MC-21, early on.
Alexandrovsky stated that he would favor the implementation of such quotas even if Russian carriers should regain access to Western markets. While he did not rule out placing new orders with Western aircraft manufacturers in such a scenario, Alexandrovsky underlined the commitment of Aeroflot’s group of airlines to the use of Russian-made aircraft.
According to ch-aviation data, as of June 2025, the only Russian-made aircraft on Aeroflot’s fleet are 73 SSJ100 Superjet regional jets, all of them on lease to its subsidiary Russia. Russia’s flag carrier has also 198 MC-21s, 40 Tu-214s and 55 SJ 100s (the ‘Russified’ version of the Superjet, without Western components) on order.
Although the MC-21 has yet to be tested in real operational conditions, Alexandrovsky does not expect this circumstance to result in any meaningful additional costs.
In the interview, Alexandrovsky touched also upon other current topics affecting Aeroflot and the broader Russian airline industry in the current context of war and international sanctions.
One of these is the ongoing effort to regularize the legal situation of a number of aircraft which were re-registered in Russia without the permission of their ultimate owners – Western leasing companies.
Aeroflot aims to complete the regularization of the remaining 36 aircraft with double registration (Western and Russian) by July 2025. This will bring the total number of regularized aircraft in Aeroflot’s fleet to 228.
Like other Russian carriers, Aeroflot is also investing in its own in-house maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities.
The airline has established a subsidiary called ‘AeroTrustTekhnik’, which will be able to service CFM engines, as well as Russian-made types such as the PD-14 and PD-8. The new 18,000 square-meter engine shop will be located next to the airline’s base at Sheremetyevo airport (SVO). It is expected to become operational in 2027, with aims to reach full capacity by 2028.
