President Vladimir Putin demanded that the creation of a passenger version of the light multi-purpose aircraft "Baikal" be accelerated and its serial production launched in the near future. The cost and technical characteristics of the aircraft must be competitive, the president emphasized. The aircraft project was launched in the fall of 2019.

"We need to build our own aircraft, reliable, high-quality and in the volumes we need. In this regard, I ask you to accelerate the development of the passenger version of the "Baikal" aircraft. We need to launch its serial production in the near future," the president said, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

Vladimir Putin noted that the cost and technical characteristics of the aircraft must meet market requirements and be competitive, and the price of flights on them must be affordable for citizens. "Well, if this situation looks different, then we need to subsidize it," the head of state added.

The LMS-901 Baikal is a light multi-purpose aircraft designed for use on local airlines, as well as for a wide range of aerial work. It is equipped with one turboprop engine and is designed to carry up to nine passengers.

The development of the Baikal is provided by the Ural Civil Aviation Plant. The comprehensive program for the development of the Russian aviation industry until 2030 stipulated that aircraft deliveries to airlines should begin in 2024. However, in May, the government moved the release date to 2025.

When ordering the aircraft in 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Trade indicated that the price should not exceed 120 million rubles. However, in October 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev said that the cost of the base aircraft had increased to 178 million rubles. In August 2024, RBC, citing a letter from the State Transport Leasing Company, wrote that its cost would be 455 million rubles.