Russian airlines, cut off by sanctions from importing new aircraft, spare parts, and maintenance, risk losing hundreds of airliners by 2030. 109 foreign aircraft and another 230 Soviet-era machines, 40-60 years old, will be removed from the carriers' fleet, writes UNN with reference to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
Details
The Foreign Intelligence Service also reported that Russia plans to decommission more than 200 helicopters, most of which are of Russian production.
Currently, Russian carriers have 1,135 aircraft, of which only 1,088 are flying – the rest have already been dismantled for spare parts. If the trend continues, in five years Russia will lose almost half of its civilian aircraft fleet.
The special service explained that the main reason for this process is sanctions, which make full technical maintenance of foreign equipment impossible. For old Soviet aircraft, Rosaviatsia simply extends their service life to 60 years, without taking into account their actual technical condition. In addition, the resource of SaM-146 engines for "Superjets" has been extended.
State plans to increase domestic production are not being fulfilled: in 2022-2025, the Russian fleet was replenished with only 13 new aircraft instead of the planned more than 120. In 2025, out of 15 aircraft planned for delivery, aircraft factories managed to deliver only one.
They also added that to compensate for the shortage, Moscow is trying to lease aircraft abroad. After refusals from Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kuwait, and Ethiopia, airlines began to use internal reserves. The cargo company "Volga-Dnepr" transferred eight Boeings to "Aeroflot" to be dismantled for spare parts to support the rest of the fleet.
Against the backdrop of technical decline, international pressure is growing. ICAO, in its latest resolution, accused Russia of destabilizing global air navigation through systematic GPS interference and called for an end to violations of international aviation law.
Addition
Belgium is facing increasing pressure to allow the use of frozen Russian assets for a "reparations loan" to Ukraine after Berlin and other Western capitals changed their stance.