Russia's airline industry appears to have learned the important lesson that even though traffic is rising, caution is warranted because many fundamentals may still not be right. Aircraft orders that are not fully keeping pace with demand are indicative of the Russian carriers' caution, but there is still ample opportunity for aircraft makers to secure new deals, due to the huge inventory of Soviet-era aircraft that need replacing. A looming question nonetheless is how the country's ambitions to rebuild its civil aircraft sector—in the form of the Superjet regional jet and the MS-21 narrowbody—will impact the market. At the higher end, manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing are paying particular attention to development of Irkut's MS-21 narrow-body. While the program officially remains on track, industry officials indicate the MS-21's entry-into-service date of 2016 is likely to slip.
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