Government has no intention to set up Russian national aircraft building company

The Russian government does not intend to speed up the process of creation a national aircraft-building company, Russian Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Ilya Klebanov told journalists on Monday.

The general plan provides for setting up such a company by merger of large aviation holdings, but the final decision will not be taken before 2006, the minister said. "This process cannot be sped up artificially," he pointed out.

In 2001 the government adopted a programme of reforming the defense industry which envisaged reform of the aircraft building sector in 2003-2004 and creation of large holdings MiG, Tupolev, Kamov, Ilyushin, Sukhoi and Mil before 2004, Klebanov recalled.

In 2005-2006 two largest corporations will be set up. One will comprise MiG, Tupolev and Kamov, the other Ilyushin, Sukhoi and the Mil plant, the minister explained.

After 2006 a question will be raised to create a united aircraft building enterprise that will unite the two holdings, he concluded.