Moscow Extends Service Life of Yak-40, Workhorse of Russian Regional Aviation, to 60 Years –and Not Just Because of Sanctions or Production Problems

Paul Goble

    Staunton, May 2 – Unable to purchase planes from abroad because of sanctions or to produce enough new ones domestically, Russian officials have quietly extended the service life of the Yak-40, the workhorse of Russian domestic aviation in areas far from the big cities, from 50 to 60 years.

    In addition to these problems, Russian officials have kept the Yak-40 in service so long because with its enormous wheels, it can land on runways made of gravel rather than concrete, something none of the foreign substitutes can do (newizv.ru/news/2025-05-01/budem-letat-na-antikvariate-srok-sluzhby-rossiyskih-samoletov-prodlyayut-do-60-let-436744).

    And beyond the big cities, Novyye Izvestiya notes, most of the airports have gravel runways, something that means that for all practical purposes there is no substitute for a plane that at a minimum is 44 years old – production ended in 1981 – and may now be as old as 60, given that Yak-40s entered service in 1965.    

    Consequently, even if sanctions are lifted and Russian plans to produce an alternative to the Yak-40 are finally realized, Russian regional aviation is going to be dependent on Yak-40s unless or until the runways of smaller airports are paved.