One In Five Aircraft Operated By Russia's Largest Airlines Does Not Take Off

Due to technical problems.

Russia's largest airlines are not putting nearly 20% of their aircraft into service due to a shortage of spare parts and the need for maintenance. According to "Kommersant", 11 airlines—which account for more than 90% of all Russian passenger traffic— have 130 of their 673 aircraft grounded, while experts say that during the summer season, it is considered normal for up to 10% of the fleet to be grounded for scheduled maintenance. And if we exclude the Aeroflot Group, which accounts for half of the aircraft among major airlines, then nearly a third of the fleet—93 out of 322 aircraft—is grounded at eight carriers.

The most significant ground time—one-third of the fleet—this summer is at S7, the largest private airline. Due to engine problems, 32 A320neo aircraft and one Embraer (out of a total of 104 aircraft). Ural Airlines has grounded 10 of its 51 aircraft, including all eight A321neo models and one each of the A320 and A321 (since January and April, respectively). At Utair, nine of its 59 aircraft are grounded (seven of which were retired between 2023 and 2025), including all three long-haul Boeing 767s. This summer, 12 of Nordwind’s 27 aircraft are not flying, including three of its five long-haul A330s and three of its four long-haul Boeing 777s.

Red Wings has grounded five of its 26 aircraft, including two of its three Boeing 777s. Two of the 20 SSJ 100s have been out of service for several months, and the third was grounded on June 18 due to engine malfunctions. Smartavia has suspended flights of three of its 13 aircraft, including both A320neo and Boeing 737 models. Azur Air, the largest charter carrier, whose aircraft were found to have serious engine problems, had only 6 of its 23 aircraft cleared for flight following an inspection by Rosaviatsiya (74% of its fleet is grounded). “Azimut,” which last week reported a critical situation with jet fuel, has 4 of its 19 SSJ 100s grounded. The company stated that it operates all its aircraft “in accordance with maintenance schedules.”

The Aeroflot Group, which has 349 aircraft, has a total of 37 aircraft grounded. Most of these belong to Rossiya Airlines (30 of its 136 aircraft are grounded). Two of the eight long-haul double-decker Boeing 747s, four of the ten Boeing 777s, and 61 of the 78 “Superjets” are currently grounded. Two SSJ 100s were taken out of service on June 24 due to an engine malfunction (the rest will be phased out between 2022 and 2025). Aeroflot itself has only seven of its 171 aircraft grounded, including three of its six Airbus 320neo, one of its 12 A330s, one of its seven A350s, and two Boeing 777s.

As experts interviewed by Kommersant note, the fact that one-third of the aircraft operated by the largest airlines are out of service is a “reasonable figure” for an industry that has been under sanctions for five years. However, the experts predict that the retirement of aircraft from the fleet will accelerate starting in 2027 due to aging aircraft and reduced service life, particularly for the SSJ 100.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com