Aeroflot, Russia’s flagship airline, intends to achieve import substitution for in-flight entertainment systems across all its aircraft by 2025, announced Anton Matskevich, Deputy General Director for Information Technology, at the “Digital Industry of Industrial Russia” forum, reported by Interfax.
“In the current year, we have achieved import substitution for in-flight entertainment systems on our entire narrow-body fleet, which our passengers use. This includes hardware and software, entirely developed domestically and independent of foreign vendors. Regarding our wide-body fleet – Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 – the work will probably be completed by 2025,” Matskevich said.
He further mentioned that a new Aeroflot application for iPhone is expected to be released in the third quarter of this year, with a website update for the airline anticipated next year.
As of the end of April, Aeroflot’s fleet consisted of 171 aircraft, including 41 wide-body and 130 narrow-body aircraft. The fleet of the Aeroflot Group, which includes not only the eponymous carrier but also Pobeda and Rossiya, totaled 349 aircraft, including 59 wide-body, 212 narrow-body, and 78 regional Superjet 100 aircraft.
This move by Aeroflot aligns with broader efforts in Russia to achieve greater self-sufficiency in key industries and reduce dependency on foreign technology.