In a sharp turnaround, it has been announced that the Kremlin is planning on acquiring two Airbus aircraft. The Russian government traditionally only flies and owns Russian aircraft but most of the current fleet is too old to fly and domestic manufacturers cannot keep up with demand. The head of the Kremlin property department, Viktor Kozhin, confirmed the government will add two mid-range Airbus aircraft and two Agusta helicopters later this year.
Kozhin said: "We are in favour of domestic aircraft. But it's a great pity that as of today our aviation industry cannot cope with the tasks we set before them."
Last year the Kremlin property department bought two smaller, multi-purpose Falcon aircraft.