Putin changes rules for airlines
Russia loses 78 planes over sanctions
03/22/2022, 12:41 p.m
Western sanctions against Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine are also affecting the country’s airlines. According to Transport Minister Savelyev, 78 machines were confiscated abroad. Russia also has problems with maintenance.
Russia says it has lost 78 aircraft because of Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine. The machines had been confiscated abroad and could no longer fly back, Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev said, according to the Tass state agency. Because of the risk of confiscation of leased planes from Russian companies abroad, many planes had been brought to Russia.
After the attack on Ukraine on February 24, almost all European countries, the USA and Canada closed their airspace to Russian planes. Russia also responded with bans. Leased machines are also affected by the ban. Because of the sanctions, President Vladimir Putin has decreed that domestic airlines may in future register their leased foreign aircraft in Russia. This means that the state-owned company Aeroflot and other companies can continue to use their fleets on domestic routes.
According to Savelyev, 800 aircraft have already been registered in Russia’s air traffic register. “We insure them with a Russian insurance company,” he said. At the time of the sanctions, Russia had 1,367 aircraft at its disposal. With the threat of new global sanctions, the US government announced last week that it intended to “effectively shut down” dozens more Russian aircraft. Accordingly, 100 aircraft should be excluded from international air traffic on Friday.
When servicing the machines, Russia now wants to be guided by the experiences of Iran in a similar situation. In response to the war and sanctions, Airbus, Boeing and other companies in the industry have stopped supplying and servicing Russian companies. The airlines will no longer receive spare parts and will no longer receive technical support. The sanctions here are based on the punitive measures against Iran because of its nuclear and missile program.