Mass production of An-178s will increase number of jobs by 10-15% - Ukraviaprom

According to him, since 2014, the number of employees in the aerospace industry has decreased annually by 1.5-3%. In general, the issue concerns a reduction from 58,000 to 46,000 people, but the industry remains the largest by the number of employees.

"Every enterprise in the aviation industry, led by the flagship state enterprise Antonov, today has untapped potential. In recent years, enterprises have seen a layoff due to downtime and excess capacity. The state order for three An-178 aircraft will definitely give an impetus to the creation of new jobs. In discussions with the heads of aviation companies, we predicted a 10-15% increase in jobs in the entire industry," Popov said.

Kharkiv-based enterprises of the Ukraviaprom Association (JSC FED, Kharkiv Aggregate Design Bureau and Kharkiv Machinery Plant FED) produce about 300 units for An-178s that are assembled at the Antonov State Enterprise at the request of the Ministry of Defense.

The Antonov State Enterprise, part of the state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom, completed the construction of the fuselage of the first of the three An-178s under a contract with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The contract between Antonov and the Ministry of Defense for the construction of three An-178s for the Ukrainian Armed Forces was signed on December 29, 2020. According to the set deadlines, the delivery of the aircraft should be completed in 2023.

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