Russia has limited access to spare parts and software needed to carry out maintenance work on hundreds of passenger aircraft, according to Wall Street Journal analysisraising safety concerns among industry leaders and regulators.

In the first days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Western countries closed their airspace to Russian aircraft. The US and Europe have also imposed a series of sanctions and export controls that have blocked the supply of spare parts, services, and other technology to Russian fleets.

According to the WSJ, Boeing and Airbus aircraft make up about 77 percent of Russia’s fleet of 696 aircraft in service.

Western officials said they were specifically targeting the sector, a key pillar of the Russian economy, which relies heavily on Western know-how. But Russian airlines continue to fly, carrying about 95 million passengers last year amid strong demand for domestic flights.

For more than a year, however, US and European sanctions have cut Russian carriers off from all deals with their manufacturers, maintenance partners and many of their key component suppliers.

Two Required Controls

Checks should be carried out at specific times depending on the flight time or the number of take-offs and landings.

These important maintenance checks fall into two types. C-check is supposed to be done every two years. Maintenance takes the aircraft out of service for approximately three to four weeks.

Inspection D involves dismantling almost the entire aircraft and assessing its damage. This can take months and is required every six to ten years, depending on flight hours and age.

Last year, about 170 Russian aircraft were due for a C inspection, according to a magazine analysis that used service schedules from Airbus and Boeing. At the same time, about 55 aircraft had to pass inspection D.

In a December interview with the Russian financial newspaper RBC, the chief executive of PJSC Aeroflot-Russian Airlines, the country’s leading international carrier, said the company had enough spare parts for the next two to six months.

Lack of data and evidence

Russia has not published safety statistics for 2022. The country’s press has not reported on those killed in air crashes over the past 12 months.

Lack of access to maintenance resources has partly led to the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization downgrading Russia’s safety rating. It says the country’s aviation sector “does not meet international safety and oversight standards.”

Source: Wall Street Journal