Discover insights from Finval GC’s Vice President of Strategic Development, Vladimir Smetana, on the state of private aviation both now and in the future.
Vladimir Smetana’s thoughts on private aviation at the MAKS Air Show
Discover insights from Finval GC’s Vice President of Strategic Development, Vladimir Smetana, on the state of private aviation both now and in the future.
Which new technologies do you represent at MAKS? Tell us about Finval’s exhibition and your time here.
“Our exhibit is devoted to the latest engineering solutions, technologies and developments. Overall, Finval Group’s goal is to increase the productivity of industrial enterprises in the aeronautical field. We’ve had meetings with representatives from government authorities, as well as officials, colleagues and new partners, discussing the technology required for creating several new innovative designs. New high-efficiency turnkey factories have been discussed, alongside organising for the production of non-military technologies and automating production.”
Have you reached any trade agreements at MAKS so far?
“We’ve had a great time at MAKS Air Show and our company actively cooperates with foreign suppliers. Russian, American and European companies are well-represented at the show, and Italian companies have even increased their presence threefold.”
How is the Russian and global aviation industry changing today?
“The aviation industry has undergone many economic changes over the past few decades. An unfortunate trend is the difficulty of entering the industry. The competitive advantage of a product is not the determining factor for success. Today, those who are able to maintain a financially stable company, and hold onto or increase their production capacities, thrive.”
“In addition, the aviation industry is placing a tremendous amount of effort and resources into improving its marketing tools, which are one of the greatest determining factors of success.”
In your opinion, what provided Russia with its leadership in the aviation market?
“During Soviet times, aviation was one of the leading industries, primarily due to efficient relationships between the state and companies, talented engineers and technicians, and innovation. Right now Russian aviation is in a transitional period, and it needs cooperation between the state, companies and research organizations to maximize efficiency.”
Today, the aircraft manufacturing industry is developing in three main areas: military, civil and business. How do you see the development of private aviation?
“At the moment, private aviation is developing quite dynamically and becoming more popular every year. In Russia, the obvious shortcoming is the lack of a serious state policy. Issues with legislation and infrastructure have yet to be resolved.”
Are you familiar with private aviation? How in-demand is this market? Many companies work in this area, such as Air Charter Service, the world leader in private transportation. Have you heard anything about them?
“We are familiar with private aviation and we charter private jets. Private jet charter provides the most comfortable and time-efficient conditions for business travel. I have heard of Air Charter Service, in fact we use them for organizing our flights. We couldn’t miss the high standard of personal service and the wide range of aircraft that Air Charter Service offers.”
What are your overall impressions of the MAKS Air Show?
“For GC Finval, MAKS creates new alliances and new ideas, and helps us to generate plans and work for new collaborations. We are genuinely grateful for the excellent organization of this event. There have been a record number of guests and deals throughout MAKS totalling RUB 400 billion.”
Choose from a wide selection of aircraft, available for private charter from our website. Feel free to contact us for pricing or additional information.