Research on the problem of regional aircraft shortage in Russian civil aviation

Аuthors

Nemoudryi K. V.

Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov, NArFU, 17, Severnaya Dvina Emb., Arkhangelsk, 163002, Russia

e-mail: nemoudryi@gmail.com

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims at exploring the problem of regional aircraft shortage, which airline companies face in their professional activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The appropriate information on the topic was collected, summarized and structured to analyze the problem. This analysis was supplemented with the opinion of the author and experts. Conclusions and remarks were made on the basis of the collected data.

Findings

Today there are basically no alternative means of transportation besides airline service within the territories of Far North, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous Region, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, Nenets Autonomous Region, Kamchatka Krai and other territories of the North-Western, Ural, Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts.
Russian airline companies actively used USSR- and Russian-produced aircraft during the last twenty years. However, there is a huge negative impact from stagnation in aircraft industry, which was caused by political and economic crises as well as prohibition on operation of certain aircraft after flight accidents in 2010-2011. This situation caused a massive reduction of aircraft and rotorcraft fleet.
Russian aircraft companies lost their expertise and professional personnel during the last twenty years. The equipment and technologies became obsolete and functionally deteriorated.
According to the forecasts of State Research Institute of Civil Aviation (GOSNII GA) and Saint-Petersburg University of Civil Aviation, the demand for new types of passenger aircraft with the capacity of 10-85 seats and flight range 500-1500 km will exceed 250 items by 2016. Thus the demand will amount up to 2,8 billion USD in monetary terms.
Joint-production with foreign producing partners might become one of the effective ways of eliminating the regional aircraft shortage. It will offer the possibility of starting planning and producing as soon as possible as well as allow involving modern world-class technologies.
The optimal characteristics of a regional aircraft for Russian airline companies are the following:

1. Take-off and landing on unpaved and poorly-prepared runways;
2. Reliability, including take-off and landing with failure of one engine;
3. Passenger capacity of up to 10-50 passengers;
4. Operational efficiency, including specific fuel consumption of up to 35-40 grams/(passenger*km);
5. Flight range, which would allow making a return flight onto the distances of up to 1000 km without refueling;
6. Flight speed around 650 kph, which is optimal for ranges of 1000-1500 km;
7. Altitude performance, which provides optimal fuel consumption at the altitudes of 8000-10000 meters;
8. Price of a new aircraft should not exceed 8-10 million USD.

Originality/value

The problem of regional aircraft shortage is one of the most relevant transportation issues of today. It is impossible to organize transportation without the appropriate means. Failure to take effective measures can lead to serious irreversible consequences. These include discontinuation of operation of regional and commuter airline companies as well as serious negative socio-economic impacts on the regions themselves. The paper aspires to emphasize the importance of the abovementioned problems as well as offer ways of solving them.

Keywords:

regional aircraft, civil aviation, regional transportation

References

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