At least one Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 and another Airbus A350 operated by Aeroflot have gone for spare parts.

Russian airlines, notably the state-controlled Aeroflot , are stripping planes to have spare parts they can no longer buy abroad due to Western sanctions.

This is reported by  Reuters  , citing four sources in the industry.

At least one Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 and another Airbus A350 operated by Aeroflot have been stopped and are being sorted out, a source familiar with the situation said. According to the source, the Airbus A350 is almost new. 

According to the source, the equipment was also taken from a pair of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft of Aeroflot, as the carrier needs spare parts from these models for other Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

Russian-made Sukhoi Superjets are also heavily dependent on foreign parts. One Superjet has already been de-engined to allow the other Superjet to continue flying, according to the first source.The publication notes that the Russian government at the beginning of the summer recommended that airlines put some aircraft into spare parts so that other foreign-made airliners could continue to fly until at least 2025.

And the new generations of the A320neo, A350, Boeing 737 MAX and 787 aircraft are equipped with technologies that need to be constantly updated. According to the sources of the publication, within a year after the start of the sanctions, keeping modern aircraft in operation will not be easy even for Russia’s highly developed engineering base.

According to Reuters estimates, based on Flightradar24 data, about 50 Aeroflot planes, or 15% of its fleet, including planes that fell under sanctions, have not taken off since the end of July.

According to Flightradar24, three of the seven Airbus A350s operated by Aeroflot, including one currently used for spare parts, have not taken off for about three months.

According to a second industry source, Russian carriers are flying with fewer routes due to Western sanctions, which means there are planes that are not in use and could be taken apart. The sanctions imposed on Russia for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine prevent Russian airlines from obtaining spare parts or undergoing maintenance in the West. Most of the Russian air fleet consists of Western passenger aircraft.

Recall that in the spring sanctions against Russian airlines were introduced by the EU countries, as well as the United States, Great Britain and Canada.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on August 1, aircraft pilots in the Russian Federation were allowed to brake with the engine to save pads.

(C)UNIAN 2022