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Sanctions force half of Russian Airbus fleet into inactivity

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Sanctions force half of Russian Airbus fleet into inactivity
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Airbus A380 | Airbus

Half of Russia's Airbus A320 and A321neo aircraft are currently grounded due to maintenance challenges, as reported by the Russian news outlet Kommersant. The grounding affects 34 out of 66 planes in this fleet category, largely attributed to the Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions have cut off access to official maintenance and parts for hundreds of Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

Simple Flying highlighted in May 2024 that S7 Airlines was attempting to reverse-engineer parts for the CFM 56 engines. However, despite Russia's significant capability to maintain its airliners, there are limits to what can be achieved without external support.

Kommersant detailed that some aircraft have been placed in reserve to conserve engine life for peak seasons, but estimated that up to 20 might never return to service. The complexity of these planes prevents repairs within Russia, and importing necessary parts is not an option under current sanctions. There is speculation about a potential large-scale withdrawal of these aircraft by 2026.

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The situation is particularly dire for S7 Airlines, which has parked 31 out of its 39 A320/A321neos. Many are relatively new, aged between three and seven years. Over 20 aircraft have exhausted their CFM International LEAP engines, prompting efforts to preserve remaining engine life.

Despite these issues, Russian Minister Roman Starovoit suggested that the groundings would not significantly impact air travel in Russia. He commented on Kommersant's article stating that "Airbus engines were being installed that were not fully developed when they started to fail."

In response to these challenges, Russia has revised its domestic production target for passenger aircraft by 2030 from over a thousand units down to 994. This adjustment reflects ongoing difficulties related both to sanctions and resource allocation toward military efforts.

Russia aims to restart domestic production with alternatives like the PD-8 engine for the SuperJet; however, open-source reports indicate it cannot pass ground tests. This issue has also affected the MC-21 jetliner project.

Additionally, acquiring new Chinese Comac C919 jets as replacements is problematic since they utilize similar CFM International LEAP turbofan engines as those found in Airbus neos. The C919 received its Chinese CAAC-type certificate in 2022 and entered commercial use in May 2023 but remains an unavailable solution for Russia's current predicament.

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