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.
MOSCOW — The third prototype of Sukhoi’s T-50 fifth-generation fighter made its first flight Nov. 22 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia’s Far East. The flight lasted a little more than an hour and was in full accordance with the flight plan, Sukhoi says. An aircraft stability test was conducted, as well as an evaluation of powerplant systems’ performance.
Avianova shut down on Oct. 10, leaving Russia without any domestic low-cost carriers and underscoring the challenge of implementing a low-fare model in a nation where the population is clustered in a few high-density regions.
Avianova's bankruptcy leaves Russia without any domestic low-cost carriers as of Oct. 10, when the carrier stops operating. Its bankruptcy also highlights the difficulty of implementing a low-fare airline business model in Russia, with its few high-density populations that can afford to fly located relatively near one another and fought over by airlines. In its official statement to the Russian aviation authorities published Oct. 5, Avianova explained that it decided to stop operating because of its deteriorating financial status.
