The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s lone aircraft carrier, which has endured a series of repair delays, may return to service by the end of 2024, according to the TASS state news agency on Tuesday.
The 1985-launched vessel was scheduled for a refit that would have made it operational in 2023.
According to the revised schedule, the aircraft carrier’s factory sea trials will begin in the spring of 2024, TASS reported. “At the end of 2024, the ship will be handed over to the fleet if the checks are completed without error. If something goes awry during the tests, the date will be moved to 2025.”
In December of 2019, a fire on board the ship killed at least one service member and injured twelve others. The previous year, during maintenance work, the floating dock holding it submerged and a gantry fell onto its deck, causing damage.
