The article is devoted to the peculiarities and problems of import substitution in the Russian aircraft industry in the context of sanctions pressure from Western countries. The nature of the impact of sanctions on the sphere of air transportation and on the aviation industry of the Russian Federation is considered. The main tasks of the aviation industry in the field of import substitution in the current conditions are formulated. The main trends and problems of import substitution are analyzed. Conclusions are drawn and basic recommendations for the development of the industry are proposed, including: setting industry priorities in the face of sectoral sanctions and making appropriate changes to program documents; adjusting production plans based on current realities; optimizing supply chains of equipment and components with a focus on building long-term partnerships with friendly and neutral countries; replacing Western hardware and software in control automation systems for Russian analogues or analogues from friendly countries; large-scale investments in the system of training managerial and technical personnel; building an integrated aircraft maintenance system; total digitalization of production, logistics, marketing and financial business processes; active implementation of a project approach to the management of aviation enterprises. Under the conditions of sanctions, the state must mobilize the industry's resource potential as quickly as possible for import substitution and reaching planned development targets.