Denis Pasler guarantees to produce the Urals aircraft "Baikal" on schedule.
Interim Governor of Sverdlovsk Region, Denis Pasler, has assured that the "Baikal" civil aircraft will be produced on schedule. Pasler visited the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) and expressed satisfaction with the progress being made.
"I walked through the production facilities, spoke with the workers, and reviewed the work plan that guides the plant's operation. I have a clear understanding of the steps that need to be taken: continue the testing phase to meet the deadline set by the government contract, which is at the end of 2026. On our part, we will support both the workforce and the production process. I am confident that this project will be completed in accordance with the contract," Pasler said.
According to him, 2,500 people are currently working on the aircraft.
Six years of promises: a chronicle of the failed production of the "Baikal" aircraft
In the past, Vice-Premier Yuri Trutnev had stated that the project would be closed, but this information was subsequently rejected by both the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance. They stated that UZGA would continue work on the "Baikal" aircraft according to a contract from April 2025.
UZGA has been developing the aircraft since 2019 and initially planned to begin mass production in 2024, with deliveries in 2025. However, deadlines have shifted.
In March 2025, UZGA assembled the first three domestically produced aircraft, but the engine has not yet been domestically produced.
Pasler's statements indicate that the "Baikal" civil aircraft project, despite previous doubts and delays, will continue in the aerospace industry and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with the involvement of 2,500 workers. The progress of this project, initially started in 2019, has been under scrutiny, particularly from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance, who expressed concerns about its closure but later rescinded such statements, maintaining the project under government contract. However, the challenge remains to find a domestically produced engine to facilitate the mass production and delivery of the aircraft, a critical aspect in the intersection of technology and finance.
