Rostec Faces Major Delays in Tu-214 Production
Russian state-owned technology corporation Rostec is encountering significant delays in restarting serial production of its Tu-214 mid-sized airliner. According to internal sources cited by Vedomosti on March 28, 2025, the production setbacks are largely attributed to a shortage of engineers and skilled workers at the Tupolev assembly line in Kazan, located in the Republic of Tatarstan. Originally, the factory was expected to complete four Tu-214 aircraft in 2025. However, reports indicate that only one aircraft is on track for completion this year, with work yet to begin on a second unit. Presently, only two Tu-214 airframes are undergoing any form of work at the facility. One is being converted to a special VIP configuration, while the other, a restored airframe, is being used as a flying laboratory.
This slowdown comes at a time when several Russian airlines and the state-owned aircraft leasing company have expressed interest in the Tu-214. Their interest was sparked in 2022 when access to Western-made aircraft became severely limited following sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite efforts to modernize the design, the Tu-214 is based on the older Tupolev Tu-204, a legacy of Soviet-era engineering. The program was revised in 2022 to “nativize” the aircraft, replacing foreign-made components with domestically produced parts. This shift has further complicated matters by forcing supply chain readjustments and additional recertification processes, contributing to the overall delay in production.
These production challenges are not isolated to the Tu-214 program alone. In January 2025, Rostec’s head acknowledged that the company’s flagship MC-21 project has also encountered setbacks, pushing the start of serial production to at least 2026. The Russian government had set an ambitious goal to revive the domestic aircraft production industry by building 113 Tu-214 airliners between 2024 and 2030, with approximately 92 billion rubles (around US$1.1 billion) invested in the Kazan plant. However, these production targets now face jeopardy as the delays continue and interest among domestic carriers appears to wane.
For example, Aeroflot, the country’s flag carrier, has opted for more modern Russian-made aircraft, such as the Superjet 100 and the MC-21, even though the MC-21 has not yet entered commercial service. Meanwhile, other Russian airlines have been forced to keep their existing Boeing and Airbus fleets operational through extensive parts repairs and in-house production of components. According to the Ch-Aviation database as of March 2025, only 40 aircraft from the various Tu-204 and Tu-214 versions remain active. Most of these are in service with Russian military and state organizations, while the only commercial operator in Russia is Red Wings, which has three Tu-204s and one Tu-214 on its books. Other operators include Air Koryo from North Korea, which uses two Tu-204s, cargo operator Aviastar-TU with three Tu-204s in cargo configuration, and Business Aero, a private aviation company that has one active Tu-204.
As Rostec struggles with workforce shortages and supply chain issues while the industry faces broader modernization challenges, the future of the Tu-214 program remains uncertain. The delays cast doubt on the feasibility of meeting production goals, potentially forcing domestic carriers to seek alternative solutions to their aircraft needs during a period when the demand for Russian-made planes is high.
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