Russian airlines face challenges amid Western sanctions

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Russian airlines face challenges amid Western sanctions

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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

By Sky Industry News

Jan 13, 2025

In 2022, the Russian aviation industry was heavily impacted by Western sanctions. Royal Flight Airlines, a Russian charter airline, experienced significant losses, losing 85% of its fleet overnight. The sanctions led to the seizure of dozens of aircraft operated by Russian airlines and restricted access to replacement parts for Airbus and Boeing jets.

Royal Flight Airlines ceased operations in May 2022 after losing 11 out of its 13 aircraft. The remaining two aircraft were parked at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. Royal Flight had been providing charter services to various holiday destinations since its establishment in 1993. By 2021, it had become the 13th largest airline in Russia with 1.5 million passengers.

The airline lost its operator's certificate in 2024, with no prospects of returning to the market. "Royal Flight considered buying back old Russian disassembled Tu-214s so that it could meet that threshold," but negotiations failed due to price disagreements.

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In January 2025, Azur Air acquired one of Royal Flight's last remaining planes, a Boeing 757-200, which is expected to begin flights from Vnukovo Airport in spring-summer. Azur Air plans to expand its network in Southeast Asia with this aircraft.

Azur Air also faced challenges due to sanctions, losing half its fleet initially. It now operates with a reduced number of Boeing aircraft but continues flying to destinations such as Egypt and Turkey.

"Until 2022, Azur Air was among the top 10 carriers in the Russian Federation; since then, detailed statistics have not been disclosed," according to Kommersant.

Sanctions affected many other Russian-operated aircraft as well. Reuters reported that over 400 leased planes worth almost $10 billion remained in Russia despite cancellation deadlines.

Russian civil aviation faces ongoing difficulties due to these restrictions on international parts and services. Despite plans to produce new passenger jets domestically by substituting imported parts with local components, progress has been slow. Only eight Sukhoi Superjets were built using stockpiled components before sanctions took effect.

Russia is attempting to revive production of older models like the Tu-214 and Il-96 while facing limitations on acquiring Brazilian or Chinese passenger aircraft due to reliance on Western components.