In addition to writing for Aviation Week Network, Maxim holds a key position at Russia's Air Transport Observer magazine (www.ato.ru). In the past he was in charge of several ATO sister aerospace publications and earlier worked for the Moscow-based CAST defense think-tank.
Maxim has a degree on international relations from MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia, and for several years worked at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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.
