Russia Delivers One of 15 Planned Jets Amid Sanctions, Industrial Slowdown

Russia's aviation industry is facing a severe crisis, delivering only one of 15 planned commercial jets in 2023 due to Western sanctions cutting off access to foreign-made aircraft parts and high interest rates limiting investment. The sector's heavy reliance on foreign components, particularly from Western manufacturers, has stalled production, with attempts at self-sufficiency hindered by a lack of technological infrastructure, skilled engineers, and decades of underinvestment. This industrial decline is part of a broader economic slowdown, with factory output contracting sharply and sectors like car production and coal facing bankruptcies. The scarcity of aircraft and rising production costs have driven up ticket prices, impacting consumers, while recent incidents such as a fatal crash and a cyberattack on Aeroflot underline the urgent risks posed by an aging and degrading fleet. The crisis also has global implications, disrupting supply chains for Western aerospace companies reliant on Russian titanium and components, forcing them to seek costly alternatives. Overall, Russia's aerospace ambitions are unraveling, revealing systemic issues with cascading economic, technological, and security consequences.