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Vitaly Savelyev Participates in the Federal Air Transport Agency's Annual Board Meeting
11 March 2026
Deputy Chairman of the Government Vitaly Savelyev participated in the annual collegium [a formal review board meeting, standard practice in Russian federal agencies] of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) [the federal agency responsible for civil aviation regulation and oversight in Russia]. The event was also attended by Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin, leadership of the relevant committees of the Federation Council and the State Duma, representatives of the professional aviation community, and veterans and distinguished workers of the industry.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that aviation remains the primary instrument of the country's connectivity and its international presence. "The industry has demonstrated its resilience in the face of external challenges. In 2025, Russian airlines carried approximately 109 million passengers. First and foremost, I want to thank the teams at the airlines and airports for the results achieved and for their coordinated efforts," said Vitaly Savelyev.
In accordance with a Presidential Instruction, aviation mobility for the population is to be increased by 2030. To this end, air transport infrastructure is being developed. The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that under the national project "Efficient Transport System" [a state-funded initiative aimed at modernizing Russia's transport infrastructure], seven aerodromes received new facilities in 2025. By 2030, the reconstruction and construction of no fewer than 75 aerodromes is planned.
"It is important to make use of modern public-private partnership mechanisms. Under the national project, 3 concession agreements out of 28 planned have already been signed. The plan must be carried out jointly with airport holding companies and the regions," Vitaly Savelyev stressed.
A key factor in fulfilling the President's mandate to increase aviation mobility is the renewal of airline fleets with domestically produced aircraft. The Tu-214 aircraft has already been certified. The regional aircraft Il-114 is in the final stage of certification. Certification flights of the Superjet and MC-21 aircraft fitted with domestic PD-8 and PD-14 engines are being conducted intensively.
Special attention is being paid to the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies. Russia today ranks among the world leaders in their deployment. Under the national project "Unmanned Aviation Systems" [a state program to develop the regulatory framework and conditions for large-scale commercial drone use], the regulatory and legal framework is being developed, and conditions are being created for the safe and large-scale use of drones across various sectors of the economy.
In 2025, Class "H" airspace [a newly designated airspace category in Russia created specifically to accommodate unmanned aerial vehicles] was introduced. This marked an important step toward the further development of the industry and the integration of unmanned systems into unified airspace. Over the past year, the flight intensity of UAVs increased by 20%.