Russian President Dmitry Medvedev today ordered to shut down operations of all airliners, which are incapable of providing flight safety to passengers, as the nation mourns the killing of 43 people in a crash.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been instructed to execute the presidential orders seeking the complete overhaul of the civil aviation system in the country and radical shrinking of the players involved in ferrying passengers across the huge Eurasian giant.
Mr. Medvedev instructed his government to draft measures by November 15 that would let the authorities “discontinue the operations of air carriers incapable of ensuring flight safety”, the Kremlin said.
Mr. Medvedev ordered to stop operations of all airline companies which are not able to provide passengers’ safety by November 15 deadline.
Mr. Medvedev has also ordered to equip all civil aircraft with radio-beacons COSPAS-SARSAT by December 31, 2012, which are handy in locating the wreckage in remote areas for speedy rescue operations.
He also demanded to speed up the work of equipping the aircraft with Terrain and Traffic Collision Avoidance System, in accordance with the standards of the International Organisation.
Following the crash of a Yakovlev Yak-42 plane on September 7, claiming lives of 43 people, including ice-hockey team Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl, Mr. Medvedev has also ordered to phase out the Soviet built vintage aircraft and replace them with newer western fleet.
According to Vesti FM radio the airlines operating up to three aircraft will be shut in the first place.
Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, slammed the Medvedev-Putin tandem for first ignoring the development of domestic civil aircraft industry and now “killing it” finally by widely opening the gates of the Russian market for the western aviation giants like Airbus and Boeing, whose share in already steadily rising in the local carriers.
