Rosavyatsia: Why did the Kremlin dismiss the veteran head of the Aviation Authority?

Alexander Neradko had a direct career – first in the Soviet Union, then in Russia. The Muscovite studied at the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation MGTUGA and successfully completed his studies in 1984. After that, he began working as an aircraft technician and was soon appointed as a senior expert of the State Committee for Supervision of Aviation Safety of the USSR. After the dissolution of the multi-ethnic state, he remained part of the organization that later became Rosaviatsia.

Gradually rise to the top. In 2009, Neradko assumed the highest position in the Russian Aviation Authority. But last week, the Russian government announced that the 62-year-old would be relieved of his duties with immediate effect. It appointed 35-year-old Dmitry Yadrov as new president, who apparently learned of his appointment from the press and had previously been vice-president of Rosaviatsia.

Departure of aircraft from Russia

The government is silent about the reasons for the change at the Rosaviatsiya summit. According to the Izvestia newspaper, the dismissal is said to have been in the works for a long time. Neradko had previously been reprimanded once in May 2022 because he “did not systematically follow the instructions of Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev and the government,” the report said.

Then there were five attempts to cancel. The main problem appears to be that Neradko allowed Rosaviatsiya to remove a total of 59 aircraft from the Russian civil aircraft registry between March 2022 and June 2023. Most of them were deregistered abroad. What was particularly alarming was that eight planes, including the Ilyushin Il-76, went to companies in countries that Moscow considers hostile, as reported by the Aviatorshchina Aviation Channel.