Reuters said that the Russian Federation will have to spend 711 billion rubles. to “achieve technological independence from foreign suppliers.”
Western sanctions have cut off supplies of key spare parts and maintenance services to Russian aviation. Russia was forced to provide more than $12 billion in government subsidies and loans. Reuters reported this on Thursday, December 21.
The problems began in March 2022, when Western aircraft makers Airbus and Boeing stopped providing them with services and parts, and also stopped routine maintenance for flagship carrier Aeroflot and other airlines of Russia.
Since then, Russia has been forced to spend 1.09 trillion rubles (about $12 billion) to support civil aviation. That’s nearly double what it spent supporting the industry in 2020-21, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp decline in air travel.
According to Swiss aviation data provider ch-aviation, Russian airlines operate 991 aircraft, including 405 made in Russia. However, only 133 Superjet aircraft were produced by the state-owned United Aircraft Corporation.
According to Western aviation analysts, the government’s investment, at best, will allow the Russians to maintain their aircraft. However, its planes are unlikely to return to Western markets anytime soon, even after the war against Ukraine ends.
Russian airlines keep their fleet of Western aircraft in the air, partly by importing spare parts to third countries without the consent of the manufacturers – mainly Airbus and Boeing.
Passenger numbers are recovering but still lagging pre-COVID levels. Meanwhile, the loss of foreign parts and maintenance expertise has raised concerns about the safety of the aircraft.
A government document setting out strategic plans for aviation spending, seen by Reuters last fall, said Russia needs to spend at least 711 billion rubles to “achieve technological independence from foreign supplier.”
As we already wrote, in September in the Novosibirsk region of Russia, an Airbus A320 passenger plane with 165 people on board suddenly landed in a field. According to preliminary data, the ship’s hydraulic system failed.
Additionally, in March, a Sukhoi Superjet passenger plane was forced to abort its flight and request an emergency landing. The plane of the Azimuth airline never flew to Moscow from Nizhny Novgorod – it sounded an alarm 10 minutes after takeoff.
Source: korrespondent
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.