In December 2025, a Tu-214 passenger aircraft with the registration number RA-64536 departed from the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S. P. Gorbunov (KAZ), a subsidiary of Tupolev and a member of the United Aircraft Corporation. According to civil aviation flight-tracking sources, this flight represented the debut airborne appearance of the first truly new Tu-214 manufactured following Russia’s decision to resume serial production of the aircraft.
This was not simply another demonstration flight. It represented the inaugural Tu-214, whose manufacturing schedule is entirely aligned with the Comprehensive Aviation Industry Development Program through 2030, approved in June 2022. That program officially recommenced the serial production of the Tu-214 aircraft as a strategic imperative for Russian civil aviation.
Why RA-64536 Is Viewed as the First Truly Innovative Tu-214
Although Kazan Aviation Plant delivered a Tu-214 with registration RA-64535 to a customer in May 2025, that aircraft cannot be regarded as entirely new in the strict sense. Based on available information, work on RA-64535 commenced in 2019, prior to the existence of the 2022 aviation program, and without a confirmed customer order.
At that time, the United Aircraft Corporation reportedly authorized Tupolev to secure a loan for the procurement of metal and the preliminary construction of the airframe, ensuring that the aircraft would be substantially completed prior to the signing of a contract. A customer seems to have appeared right before to the commencement of the Special Military Operation in 2022. Delivery was initially scheduled for 2023; however, this deadline was not met due to reasons that were never publicly disclosed.
RA-64535 was not purchased by a commercial airline. Instead, it was repurposed as a corporate aircraft for the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, which mostly accounts for the lack of official publicity regarding its delivery. According to Business Online, the aircraft was delivered in May 2025.
As a consequence, RA-64536 was the first Tu-214 to undertake a flight that was entirely assembled within the post-2022 industrial infrastructure, three and a half years following the official decision to recommence production.
Plans Compared to Actual Outcomes
Under the initial aviation program, Kazan Aviation Plant was projected to deliver three Tu-214 aircraft by 2023, seven in 2024, and ten in 2025, culminating in a total of 115 aircraft by 2030. Reality has significantly failed to meet those objectives.
Nevertheless, the maiden flight of RA-64536 signifies both a symbolic and practical milestone, indicating that the production capabilities have not been utterly diminished.
A Potentially Completely Russian Aircraft
Another significant distinction of RA-64536 is that it is broadly expected to be the first Tu-214 entirely fitted with domestically produced Russian components. The plans involved the replacement of approximately 45 systems and subsystems, including flight computers, ground proximity warning systems, mid-air collision avoidance systems, radar, illumination, electrical equipment, and various other avionics.
A dedicated aerial laboratory employed for testing these replacement systems first became airborne in November 2024. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether the comprehensive import substitution program has been effectively accomplished. Tupolev did not reply to official inquiries from Business Online concerning the scope of system replacement.
A Plane Taken From an Airline Order
RA-64536 bears an additional unusual history. It is the same aircraft that was initially assigned to UVT Aero, a regional airline headquartered in Tatarstan.
In the latter half of 2022, as Russian authorities deliberated on the potential resumption of Tu-214 serial production, Tatarstan submitted an order for four Tu-214 aircraft on behalf of UVT Aero to bolster the case for restarting the program. The airline was scheduled to receive the initial two aircraft in autumn 2024, followed by the subsequent pair in autumn 2025.
However, by the end of 2023, it became evident that the initial aircraft would be reassigned to a different customer. That client was subsequently identified as Sogaz, an influential Russian insurance and financial conglomerate.
Why the Contract Was Rewritten
There is no official statement regarding the re-contracting; however, industry sources characterize the situation as follows.
Tatneft, the owner of UVT Aero, executed the initial Tu-214 agreement before to the government’s implementation of its preferential leasing scheme for domestically manufactured aircraft. As a consequence, Tatneft consented to pay the full market value of approximately six billion rubles per aircraft, while subsequent consumers participating in the leasing program would be charged approximately half that amount.
Following the implementation of the preferential leasing scheme, the authorities of Tatarstan started questioning why they should pay the full price when others would not. They tried to renegotiate the agreement; however, Tupolev reportedly declined, asserting that Tatneft must first accept the four aircraft already ordered, with further aircraft to be incorporated when the program is revised in 2026.
At that juncture, Sogaz emerged as a new client, requesting a Tu-214 configured as a business aircraft. Tupolev assigned the first aircraft to Sogaz and issued a refund for one aircraft. UVT Aero also did not receive the remaining three aircraft.
Tatneft is currently pursuing the recovery of those aircraft through legal proceedings against Tupolev. Meanwhile, UVT Aero has discontinued its intentions to operate the Tu-214 and has opted instead to procure Il-114 turboprops and SJ-100 regional jets.
A Business Jet Built from a Commercial Passenger Aircraft
According to industry sources, RA-64536 is configured as a business jet, which is notably uncommon for an aircraft initially designed to transport nearly 200 passengers on medium-range routes.
Historically, corporate Tu-214 aircraft have been procured exclusively by government entities, including the Presidential Administration and the Federal Security Service. In this instance, however, the aircraft is designated for utilization by a commercial enterprise.
The underlying cause is the increasing complexity of managing foreign business aircraft within Russia. Imported aircraft are increasingly difficult to maintain, supply channels for spare parts are intricate and unreliable, and the jets are now predominantly accessible only through the secondary market at high prices. These factors have prompted corporations to seek domestically manufactured alternatives that can be tailored to established standards.
Currently, the available options are highly restricted. The Superjet 100 and the MS-21 are not yet completely developed products, rendering the Tu-214 as the sole viable domestic platform.
A Specialized Aircraft with Well-Defined Boundaries
A Tu-214 configured as a business jet is broadly recognized by specialists as a specialized solution. It provides two distinct advantages: extensive range and remarkable versatility in cabin configuration. The aircraft can be configured not only as a conventional business jet but also as a long-range shuttle featuring a single business-class configuration for conveying sizable corporate teams.
Simultaneously, the aircraft is excessively large for standard business aviation itineraries such as the flight from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. Furthermore, business aviation frequently necessitates access to small or difficult-to-reach terminals, thereby restricting the practical application of a large airliner-based platform.
A Contradictory Situation
An unexpected paradoxical situation has arisen. An aircraft whose production was reinstated to swiftly bolster the national economy is now being redirected for corporate and governmental use. One Tu-214 has been allocated to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, another to Sogaz, a third is designated for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and several additional units are intended for the Rossiya Special Flight Detachment.
It has been officially announced that the Kazan Aviation Plant will be prepared to satisfy commercial airline orders only after 2027. In August, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov stated that KAZ is projected to achieve a production rate of 20 Tu-214 aircraft annually by 2028–2029.
Actual Production Figures
It is uncertain whether the aircraft for Sogaz will be delivered in 2025. Currently, KAZ has supplied only a single Tu-214 in 2025.
According to industry sources, the updated production schedule now anticipates manufacturing three aircraft in 2025 and five in 2026. Nonetheless, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov has committed to a further revision by the end of 2025, and considering the declining trend, it is unlikely that the official 2025 plan will include more than a single aircraft.
The Significance of the First Flight
Despite the numerous challenges, professionals within the aviation industry underscore the significance of this occasion. As one source observed, the initial completely new Tu-214 to undertake flight does not address systemic issues; however, it illustrates that manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities remain operational, despite the plant confronting competing priorities.
Honored Pilot of Russia Yuri Sytnik characterized the occasion as a significant milestone for Russian civil aviation. He noted that aircraft such as the MS-21 and Superjet remain essentially incomplete products, whereas the Tu-204 and Tu-214 families are entirely certified and ready for immediate operation. According to him, these aircraft are capable of reliably operating in Russian airspace for 15 to 20 years, irrespective of discussions concerning fuel efficiency or emissions.
Future Perspectives
RA-64536 is the first Tu-214 manufactured wholly subsequent to the approval of the aviation development program in summer 2022. The previous RA-64535 was an aircraft constructed from existing production reserves.
Kazan Aviation Plant continues in the manufacturing of Tu-214 medium-range aircraft, and Rostec has announced that eleven Tu-214s are scheduled for delivery to Aeroflot in the upcoming years. However, priority continues to be given to government and special-purpose consumers, with deliveries to commercial airlines anticipated only after 2027.