The war in Ukraine and the sanctions have hit Russian civil aviation hard. Due to the resulting lack of spare parts, the airlines began to scale back safety requirements significantly. The consequences are fatal: today all passengers traveling on a Russian plane are in danger.
Without Western technology, the Russian civilian fleet looks pretty old. About 90 percent of the passenger and cargo planes of Russian airlines such as Aeroflot and S7 came from Airbus and Boeing, says Steven Udvar-Hazy, head of aircraft financier ALC. The old Soviet-era Antonovs, Ilyushins and Tupolevs are long gone and are no longer competitive today.
International warning
Since the beginning of the invasion, Boeing and Airbus have stopped supplying spare parts to Russia. The maintenance of the machines is no longer done by the companies. The first major blow finally came in September 2022: the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) issued a warning sign to Russia after a security check. This is the case for only three countries worldwide: Bhutan, Liberia and now Russia.
In 2022, Russian airlines carried about 95 million people. Many more passengers will depend on domestic airlines again this year. The incidents, which are now piling up, already give an idea of the catastrophes that may lie ahead. The independent Russian journalist network “Project” did some research and came up with chilling stories.
maintenance problems
Aircraft maintenance is expensive and complicated. As “Project” clearly explains, you can’t just put the machines in the garage like an old Lada (a vehicle made by the Russian automaker AvtoVAZ – editor’s note). The maintenance is based on a sophisticated and globally uniform standard, which forms the central basis for flight safety.
After the outbreak of war, all pursers (senior flight attendants – editor’s note) received an email. It was said that in-flight failures would no longer be recorded in writing, but only orally. The reason is simple. If the defects are not documented and spare parts are not available, the aircraft can continue to fly – even with serious malfunctions, explains a chief flight attendant who has worked for Aeroflot for more than a decade.
Insufficient oxygen on board
Another employee reported that in 2022, a pilot was unable to document that there was insufficient oxygen on the plane. Oxygen is needed, for example, in the event of a loss of pressure in the cabin or for emergency medical care. Instead, he flew to Moscow from the United Arab Emirates and only then reported the shortfall. In the past, he would have been fired immediately after such misconduct, according to the insider.
Fuel was pouring out of the hood
A former pilot of the Russian airline Nordwind said he would take off from the Russian city of Kazan in January this year in a Boeing 737 that had leaked fuel. There were 190 passengers on board. When technicians arrived, they reportedly found that this was not the first time this had happened to the machine. However, there was nothing in the flight log.
No flush toilet
There is also a known case where a machine flew for about six months with a defective vacuum pump. It is required for flushing the toilets on board. The passengers could therefore only relieve themselves at an altitude of 5000 meters, at lower altitudes or on the ground the “contents” of the toilet simply remained in place. As strange as the story may seem, in aviation even small defects can lead to terrible catastrophes.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
