The ADA, established in 1997 to represent the fledgling Russian business aviation industry, expects a difficult time for operators with the advent of Stage 3 noise requirements in Western Europe.
New regulations, it says, will ban aircraft such as the Tupolev Tu-134, which is the most popular indigenous aircraft with local air taxi companies and responsible for 60-70% of the air taxi work inside the former Soviet Union. Implementation of Stage 4 noise requirements, planned for 2006, will also prohibit operations of the other ubiquitous types, including the Yakovlev Yak-40 and Yak-42 trijets.
The ADA fears that repeated delays with such indigenous civil aircraft programmes as the Tu-324 and Tu-134M could force Russian-based operators to acquire Western-built fleets.
Russia's business aircraft fleet totals around 150 aircraft. It consists mainly of converted Tu-134s and Yak-40/42Ds, and Antonov An-74 airliners.
Source: Flight International
