The President said, in particular, in his message:
“State policy has always made effective development of our country’s aviation sector one of its big priorities. We have every reason to be proud of the names and achievements of our outstanding scientists, engineers, designers, and pilots, who have written vivid and unforgettable pages in the history of civil aviation and in our country’s history, and have selflessly served their homeland in both times of peace and times of difficult trials.
It is good to see that the people working in the sector today continue to preserve and develop their predecessors’ wonderful traditions. Your professionalism, experience and creative energy make a great contribution to speeding up the time it takes to build and modernise airports. You are introducing modern and innovative technology throughout the whole sector and are developing new and promising routes, including to the Republic of Crimea. The civil aviation sector showed its top-level professionalism in the big contribution it made to holding to the XXII Winter Olympics in Sochi.
These are all impressive achievements, but there are other no less important tasks ahead of you. This year, we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory. Our civil aviation fleet will bring Great Patriotic War veterans and guests from all around the country to the sites of military glory. I am sure that you will be up to this task. Of course, you must continue to pay constant attention to guaranteeing flight safety, training qualified workers, developing international and interregional routes and making them more affordable. I am referring here to the key areas that will make our civil aviation sector more competitive and ensure that it meets the latest standards and demands.”