Medvedev: Russian air fleet to be reduced
In response to the accident that killed 43 people, the Russian president is calling for immediate changes in the country's aviation industry, including a significant reduction in the number of airlines.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for immediate changes to the country's aviation industry, including a sharp reduction in the number of airlines, as the country mourns the deaths of 43 people and the collapse of a major ice hockey team.
Wednesday's accident killed 36 players, coaches and other staff members of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, drawing attention to the poor condition of aircraft in Russia and other former Soviet republics.
According to experts, the problems are concentrated in old aircraft, weak government oversight, poor pilot training, and a cost-cutting mentality.
Investigators have not yet been able to determine what caused the Yak-42 jet to crash on the banks of the Volga River shortly after taking off from Yaroslavl, 240 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Rescue teams were working on Thursday to lift the tail of the aircraft, where the plane's onboard recordings are stored.
The plane crashed on the opening day of an international forum that was supposed to showcase Yaroslavl as a modern and vibrant Russian city. Medvedev laid flowers at the crash site on Thursday, met with officials, and later opened his speech at the forum by requesting a moment of silence in tribute to the victims. "The number of airlines must be drastically reduced, and this needs to be done as quickly as possible," he said in remarks shown on Russian television.
It is unclear what measures the government can take to reduce the number of airlines, many of which are small, regional companies with uncertain financial health. Transport Minister Igor Levitin told Medvedev that there are about 130 airlines across Russia, but 85% of passengers are carried by just 10 companies.
The crashed plane was built in 1993 and one of its three engines was replaced a month ago, Deputy Transport Minister Valery Okulov told Russian media. It is unclear whether a technical failure caused the crash, but it appears to have attempted to gain altitude and struck a signaling tower before the accident.
Okulov said that federal transport authorities are considering the possibility of grounding the 57 Yak-42s that are still in service, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. The only two survivors of the crash are in serious condition and have been sent to Moscow, Russian news agencies reported.