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Sukhoi Superjet faces operational challenges amid international sanctions

Sukhoi Superjet faces operational challenges amid international sanctions
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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

According to the Russian news outlet Kommersant, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, a domestically-produced Russian aircraft, has experienced multiple incidents over two consecutive weeks. On November 25, Simple Flying reported an Azimuth airline Superjet encountered an engine fire while landing in Turkey. Following this, on December 1, another Azimuth Superjet made an emergency landing at Russia's Mineralnye Vody Airport. Notably, more than half of the Superjet fleet currently lacks Russian flight certificates.

Kommersant detailed that two Azimuth Airlines Sukhoi Superjets were involved in three separate incidents within a week. The first occurred on November 24 when one of the jets suffered an engine fire upon landing. Another incident took place on November 28 when a different Azimuth Superjet was unable to take off from Saransk due to engine failure. The same aircraft had to make an emergency landing on December 1 because of a fuel filter malfunction error.

The publication attributes the fuel filter issue not to the quality of aviation fuel but rather to a shortage of fuel filters in Russia. International sanctions have hindered Russia's ability to source new filters. United Engine Corporation, a state-owned company responsible for engine production, has supplied import-substituted fuel filters; however, there are reports these are clogging up on the Superjets.

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"The number of technical incidents with the Sukhoi Superjet 100 has doubled over the past three years," stated Kommersant.

The report also highlights challenges faced by the program aimed at fully "Russianizing" the Superjet by replacing all imported components with domestic parts by 2026. Before sanctions were imposed, approximately 55-60% of the aircraft's value consisted of imported parts, including engines produced in collaboration with France's Safran. Some imported components lack Russian-made alternatives.

Between 2007 and 2022, a total of 230 Sukhoi Superjets were built before production ceased. Currently, only 93 are listed as having airworthiness certificates by Rosaviatsia (the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency).

A related analysis suggests that Russia is struggling to meet its target of producing 1,000 new passenger aircraft by 2030 due to competition between civil and military sectors for resources.

Kommersant quoted Viktor Sazhenin, a Russian pilot who noted that systems on Russian-built Superjets fail more frequently compared to Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 models. However, official statistics indicate that serious breakdowns involving Russian-made Superjets are comparable to those involving Boeing aircraft operated in Russia during 2024.

Russia faces additional challenges maintaining its fleets of Airbus and Boeing airliners due to being cut off from official replacement parts and services. As a result, half of Russia's Airbus A320neos/A321neos remain grounded owing to issues with CFM International LEAP engines.

Despite plans to build 1,000 passenger aircraft by 2030 and intentions for resuming production of modernized Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-214s using Russian engines, no new deliveries have been made since sanctions began nearly three years ago.

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