Why the Russian "Superjet" became a loser

The project of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet airliner has a very difficult fate. The plans of the state were the revival of the civil aviation industry. However, the cost of the liner grew all the time, and the timing of its implementation was constantly shifted. Over the period from 2003 to 2016, about $ 2 billion was spent on the Superjet. By the way, it was assumed that he would achieve profitability by 2010, but in the yard the second half of 2018, and things are still there.


It is known that at the origins of the project was Boeing Corporation, which provided consulting services in developing a program for creating a regional airliner. It was assumed that Boeing would have 8% of royalties on each Superjet sold, but in the future the Americans refused copyright deductions in their favor. Critics of the project indicate a large number of components of foreign production used in the "Russian" liner, their number, according to various estimates, can reach three quarters of the total. Representatives of Sukhoi explained that only foreign manufacturers were able to give guarantees of the supply of parts and equipment on time, so preference was given to them. Subsequently, as we will see, this will play a negative role in promoting the airliner in the market.



A bad sign for the Superjet can be considered a plane crash that occurred in Indonesia on a demonstration flight in front of potential customers. Despite the presence of an experienced pilot at the helm, a Russian airliner crashed into the side of a mountain, killing 45 people on board. In the future, everything about the Sukhoi civilian aircraft went awry.

The modest sales of Superjet are explained by the bet on the version with 100 seats, which is a strategic miscalculation. Brazilian and Canadian regional liners, based on market experience, are designed for 60-80 seats. Now the state has to artificially support the demand for Superjets through the State Leasing Company and invest heavily in creating a shortened version of the regional liner.

As it turned out, the after-sales service of Superjets is an even bigger problem. There was information that the company Interjet from Mexico, which purchased the largest number of Russian liners among foreign customers, may completely refuse to use them. The Mexican air carrier has already acquired 22 domestic aircraft and was not satisfied due to problems with their maintenance. In particular, last year, due to defects in the stabilizers, the company was forced to suspend the use of 11 airliners. And at the beginning of this year, one of the "Superjets" Mexicans generally had to make out for parts for other aircraft.

Russian air carriers also have problems. Yakutia Airlines has identified 33 cases of aircraft engine failure, and plans to abandon their use, as flights and charter programs were interrupted due to malfunctions. Red Wings also quickly changed their mind about renting Superjets. Complain about the new airliners at Aeroflot, which the state “gave in to the load” of 49 aircraft: the GLONASS system is buggy, the landing gear is jammed and the wing mechanization system.

Experts explain that the problem of air carriers is the lack of components for repair and the inoperability of their delivery to consumers even domestically, not to mention the same Mexico. Now the state is forced to reallocate billions of rubles to create a shortened version of the Superjet and a logistics system for after-sales service. I would like to ask, what prevented them from thinking through these options in advance?

Andrey Kramarenko, HSE Specialist, explains:



So, here we are. But what about the advice from the world leader in the Boeing aviation industry when creating the Superjet? The answer is given by the representative of the airline "Yakutia":



Perhaps that is why the American corporation did not begin to lay claim to its "copyright" for the "Superjet", knowing that it helped launch the domestic civil aviation industry along an initially impasse development path?