MOSCOW, Dec 4: Russia is ready to deepen collaboration with India in the civil aviation sector, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov told Sputnik in an interview.
“Russia is a partner that stands ready to work with India not only by supplying cutting-edge aviation technology but also by supporting the development of India’s domestic aviation industry. In this sense, we believe that mutual interest may lie in expanding cooperation beyond the military sphere into civil aviation,” Manturov said.
The two countries have a long history of successful aviation collaboration, the official said. For instance, the well-known MiG-21 jet fighters and Su-30MKI multirole fighters are produced under license in India.
India’s industrial sector is rapidly advancing under the Make in India initiative, with its air transport market “developing intensively,” he added.
“Russian Superjet planes have already carried over 40 million passengers and are actively operated by Russian airlines on both domestic and international routes. As certification progresses and production of the updated aircraft model ramps up, cooperation with Indian partners will become increasingly relevant and can be discussed in more concrete terms,” Manturov said.
In September, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexey Gruzdev said the ministry sees Russia and India complementing each other well in the civil aviation sector and believes that cooperation in this area could soon gain “fresh momentum.”
During the 26th Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission meeting in late August, Manturov emphasized the need to bolster partnerships in sectors with proven successes, especially the chemical industry, metallurgy and transport engineering. (UNI)
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