Maksim covers aerospace developments in Central Asia for Aviation Week. He has worked for Russia's Air Transport Observer magazine and was in charge of several ATO sister aerospace publications after working for the Moscow-based CAST defense think tank.
Maksim has a degree in international relations from MGIMO University, Moscow.
Russia’s commercial air traffic reached a record level in 2013 as its domestic airlines carried 84.4 million passengers, the country’s Federal Air Transport Agency reports. This is more than one million passengers above the level for the year expected by Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov in November, and also 14% ahead of the prior year's pace, when Russian airlines carried 74 million passengers.
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) plans to boost Superjet 100 regional jet production this year, nearly doubling the rate to 40 aircraft compared with 24 SSJ100s delivered in 2013, says SCAC President Andrey Kalinovsky. Aeroflot will continue to replace its initial batch of SSJ100s with upgraded aircraft specified as the full version. Russia’s largest carrier has 30 SSJ100s on order.
MOSCOW — Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is expected to find new funds to support its major commercial project — the Sukhoi Superjet 100 program — as it plans to sell its stake in Ilyushin Finance Co., the country’s largest aircraft lessor, to the government-owned Vnesheconombank. The deal was discussed by the bank’s supervisory board on Dec. 19.
