RUSSIA's aviation industry has defied predictions it would grind to a halt after western sanctions barred access to vital spare parts and maintenance expertise, reports London's Financial Times.
Domestic air travel has rebounded close to pre-Covid levels, prompting concerns among western executives that safety may be at risk.
Since Russia lifted all Covid travel restrictions in the summer, the number of domestic flights has surged, up four per cent on 2019 levels in October this year, according to data from IBA, the aviation consultancy.
International travel remains far below 2019 levels as most western countries banned russian airlines from their airspace following its invasion of Ukraine. Travel has continued to certain countries, such as China, Turkey and former Soviet states.
Airbus and Boeing in March suspended the supply of spare parts and services and removed their regular maintenance support. Engine makers, including Rolls-Royce, also stopped support.
Before the start of the war, the two aerospace groups accounted for 70 per cent of Russia's commercial fleet of roughly 880 aircraft, according to data from consultancy Cirium.
The market is dominated by western lessors, which had more than 500 planes leased to domestic airlines and failed to retrieve most of them.
'We think the Russians have a reasonable pedigree in maintaining aircraft but their problem is going to grow over time,' said an executive at one western lessor.
Said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury: 'We are worried about maintenance as the planes are flying a lot. We cannot really monitor and support these customers as in normal times. And that creates concerns on the safety side.'
Phil Seymour, president of IBA, said most western-made aircraft would be able to operate without too much maintenance in the short term, stressing that 'Russian authorities would not want planes to fly in an unairworthy condition'.
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Domestic air travel has rebounded close to pre-Covid levels, prompting concerns among western executives that safety may be at risk.
Since Russia lifted all Covid travel restrictions in the summer, the number of domestic flights has surged, up four per cent on 2019 levels in October this year, according to data from IBA, the aviation consultancy.
International travel remains far below 2019 levels as most western countries banned russian airlines from their airspace following its invasion of Ukraine. Travel has continued to certain countries, such as China, Turkey and former Soviet states.
Airbus and Boeing in March suspended the supply of spare parts and services and removed their regular maintenance support. Engine makers, including Rolls-Royce, also stopped support.
Before the start of the war, the two aerospace groups accounted for 70 per cent of Russia's commercial fleet of roughly 880 aircraft, according to data from consultancy Cirium.
The market is dominated by western lessors, which had more than 500 planes leased to domestic airlines and failed to retrieve most of them.
'We think the Russians have a reasonable pedigree in maintaining aircraft but their problem is going to grow over time,' said an executive at one western lessor.
Said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury: 'We are worried about maintenance as the planes are flying a lot. We cannot really monitor and support these customers as in normal times. And that creates concerns on the safety side.'
Phil Seymour, president of IBA, said most western-made aircraft would be able to operate without too much maintenance in the short term, stressing that 'Russian authorities would not want planes to fly in an unairworthy condition'.
SeaNews Turkey