Contrary to the predictions of experts and to the surprise of many, Russian Airlines continue to operate despite sanctionsDeutsche Welle reports. After invasion of UkraineWestern countries have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft. Many airlines have severed ties with Russian companies, and giants such as the European Airbus and the American Boeing have stopped supplying them with key parts. In the immediate aftermath of the Russian attack, many were quick to predict that domestic air travel would last no more than two weeks. More than six months have passed, but they have not been confirmed.

Spare parts from landed planes provide a solution to the Boeing and Airbus embargo.

Before the war in Ukraine, Russian airlines operated about 800 aircraft, almost all of the Western type. About 120 million passengers traveled with Russian airlines in 2019, before the pandemic, according to the state-owned Aeroflot. More than half of the routes were to international destinations, but by February of this year, most international flights were suspended. Almost 50% reduction of Russian flights, paradoxically, has positive consequences. The priority now is the maintenance of domestic flights in Russia, and many aircraft fixed on the ground have the ability to partially close what they fly. “Dismantling aircraft on the ground is a way out,” says Russian expert Anastasia Dagaeva.

Even today, the Russian aviation industry uses almost exclusively Boeing and Airbus aircraft owned by foreign investors. This fact is a consequence of the Cape Town Convention of 2001, which reassures investors that member countries create conditions for low credit risk. In this way, an emerging economy such as Russia at the time was able to upgrade its Soviet-era fleet with modern Western aircraft. Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Western investors have demanded back their leased aircraft, more than 500 of them, worth more than $10 billion. But by a special law, President Putin allowed Russian companies to register aircraft in Russian registries. Finally, Russian aircraft are reported to be using state-of-the-art software and upgraded semiconductor systems.