ZHUKOVSKY (Moscow Region), August 27 (RIA Novosti) – State support is crucial for Russia’s modern aircraft industry, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.
“I think the main thing today is to ensure stable consumer demand for aircraft makers and help them reach the needed production volumes and profitability on already started projects as soon as possible and create the necessary safety margin for developing and launching new high-tech products,” the prime minister said at an international aviation congress.
Investment risks seriously hinder the industry’s development, Medvedev told the congress, held as part of the MAKS-2013 airshow, which opened on Tuesday in the town of Zhukovsky, just outside Moscow.
The Russian premier said international collaboration would be one of the factors for Russian aircraft builders to secure substantial positions. As an example, he cited the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional airliner, developed jointly with the United States, France, Italy and other countries.
Medvedev told the participants and guests of MAKS-2013 earlier in a welcome message that Russia should do everything possible to strengthen its aircraft’s positions on the global market.
He also talked to Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station in a communication session organized at the Russian space agency Roscosmos’ pavilion at the airshow.
In addition, the prime minister visited other pavilions and inspected a model of a new Russian jet airliner, the MS-21.
