ZHUKOVSKY, June 24. /TASS/. Russia has managed to perform a complete import substitution for aircraft as a result of the sanction pressure, President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting on national aviation.

TASS collects key statements of the head of state.

Complete import substitution of aviation equipment

"In view of a big number of reasons, primarily the sanction pressure, we have the situation changed and Russia had to but yet managed to make the complete import substitution," Putin said.

The ability to independently create the whole line of military and civilian aircraft is one of key indicators of technical, research and industrial sovereignty of the nation.

Competition with Western aircraft

The Russian aircraft surpassed Western counterparts by many positions. The domestic airplanes "must not merely compete but compete successfully" with foreign ones in terms of quality, reliability, and performance characteristics.

The new Russian airplanes, MC-21, SSJ-100 and Il-114 "have a very good level." Western sanctions led to a postponement of the program for MC-21 passenger jet for two years but Russian companies coped with the task.

Air transportation figures

Certain probability exists that air transportation targets set by the national development goals will not be achieved. "I request the Ministry of Transport to report today the updated plans on the forecast passenger traffic and inform, what additional measures will be implement to meet the needs of citizen for air travel as much as possible," Putin said.

Russia will do everything for its carriers to operate domestic airplanes.

Anti-Russian sanctions

Western carriers and aircraft manufacturers suffered damage themselves from anti-Russian sanctions. "It should be said that those who adopted these restrictions sustained certain damage themselves on the whole. These are the carriers, in the first instance. The manufacturers also, as we bought the aircraft from them in large quantities," the president said.

Russian air carriers were the first to experience sanctions and attempts to isolate Russia, facing the breach of aircraft maintenance obligations.

Development of Russian aviation industry

Everything should be done "quicker and at a larger scale" in the aviation sector. The task of the government, airlines and the aviation industry is "to create conditions for building up the volume of passenger air transportation, to increase safety and comfort of flights," the president said.

The need exists to build up the available competencies and the technology potential of the aviation segment and increase supplies of domestically produced aircraft.