The source “Roskosmos” ceded to the Ministry of Defense control in its subsidiary airline “Cosmos” for 1 rub. This deal was explained by the state corporation by a decrease in the load of the carrier on the part of industry enterprises due to “foreign economic factors”. A special flight detachment of the Ministry of Defense purchased from Roskosmos a 74% stake in Kosmos for 1 ruble, another 26% remained with the state corporation.
This was told to RBC by the general director of the carrier Andrei Pankratov and confirmed by the press service of Roscosmos. This happened in the first half of 2022, when Dmitry Rogozin was still the CEO of the state corporation (he resigned on July 15; former Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov became the new head). The sale of the airline in Roskosmos was explained by a decrease in the carrier's load on the part of industry enterprises due to “foreign economic factors.” In addition, the debts of Cosmos were transferred to the military department, Pankratov adds, without naming their amount. RBC sent a request to the press service of the Ministry of Defense.
After the start of the military operation in Ukraine on February 24, the United States, the European Union, Great Britain and other countries imposed several packages of sanctions against Russia, which also affected the space industry. In response, Roscosmos appealed to NASA, the European (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) with a demand to take measures to lift restrictions on a number of Russian space enterprises.
To load the Cosmos airline, a “collaboration project” was worked out with the flight squad of the Ministry of Defense, which makes it possible to meet the needs of the rocket and space industry and the military department, a representative of Roskosmos notes. The transition under the control of the Ministry of Defense will allow updating the fleet, which, according to the Federal Air Transport Agency at the end of September, consisted of three aircraft: one Tu-134 and two Yak-42s. In 2023, the company's fleet should replenish seven aircraft (five passenger Tu-204/214 and two cargo Il-76) from the secondary market, says Pankratov. According to two RBC sources familiar with the company's plans, for the development of the Cosmos fleet, aircraft that were previously used by the Red Wings airline and the Dalavia carrier, which went bankrupt in 2008, are being considered.
According to what scheme the Ministry of Defense will receive aircraft, it will be decided at the level of the government and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Pankratov notes. The details of this project (in terms of Tu-204/214) are being discussed, confirmed in the press service of the KLA. “The structures of the corporation can participate in projects for the supply of domestic aircraft from the secondary market as partners, including in the issue of restoring airworthiness. Aircraft remarketing is a normal practice,” they added, adding that they are primarily focused on the early launch of new civil aircraft into production. RBC sent inquiries to the press services of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Rostec.
The development of the fleet will allow the airline to start the financial recovery stage (according to SPARK, its total net loss in 2017-2021 amounted to 676 million rubles), since Cosmos will receive efficient machines for more than 200 passenger seats, and Il-76 will be in demand The Ministry of Defense due to the increased needs for the transportation of goods, says Pankratov. According to him, Cosmos will continue passenger transportation in the Arctic, including from Arkhangelsk to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. By order of the Oboronlogistics company (established by the Ministry of Defense in 2011), the airline began regular flights in this direction in the summer of 2019. “The performance of air transportation of passengers and cargo on the Tu-134 aircraft has become the starting point in solving the large-scale task of increasing the transport accessibility of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago for military personnel, their families and other civilian specialists involved in the development of the Arctic zone of Russia,” the press space service. At the same time, the issue of expanding the route network with flights from Arkhangelsk to Murmansk, Amderma, Naryan-Mar, Kotlas, Syktyvkar and St. Petersburg was worked out. RBC sent a request to Oboronlogistics.
Roskosmos also has another carrier, the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (there are two Tu-204s in the fleet), which Rosaviatsia approved for commercial flights in August 2022. In addition, Kosmos remains an aviation operator for the rocket and space industry, adds a representative of the state corporation. To minimize risks, it is better to have two aviation companies, Pankratov notes.
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