Sergei Ivanov has been ordered to work out measures to ensure flight safety in the wake of a series of flight troubles this year, the most severe being the tragedies in Siberia's city of Irkutsk July 9, and in western Ukraine August 22, which left 131 and 170 people dead, respectively.
"Flight safety must not be second to commercial interests," said Ivanov, who is also defense minister.
Saying that flight safety depended on the condition of the fleet, both national and foreign, the minister said that law enforcement officers had raided an aviation research institute Thursday for dealing in forged aircraft components.
Ivanov also highlighted the role of pilots' skills and the quality of weather forecasts, saying he would submit proposals to Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov.
