
The crash of a chartered Yak-42 regional airliner on September 7 in Yaroslavl, Russia, that left 44 professional hockey players dead has prompted calls from authorities to take additional measures to encourage the country’s airlines to merge into bigger structures and replace aging Soviet airplanes. In fact, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently presented a plan to allow aviation authorities to “discontinue the operations of air carriers incapable of ensuring flight safety.”
The Kremlin leader voiced two slogans: “Merge or close down” in regard to airlines and “Get properly equipped or withdraw from service” in relation to Soviet-era airplanes still flying. Medvedev further said the Russian government would “make a hard decision” on renewal of the nation’s airliner fleet. He added that passenger safety, not survival of local manufacturers, should stand as the top priority for his government.