Russian airlines asked the Ministry of Transport to legalize the dismantling of some aircraft for spare parts in order to maintain the health of other aircraft that cannot be repaired in any other way due to sanctions. This is reported by Izvestia with reference to a letter from the President of the Association of Air Transport Operators (AEVT) Vladimir Tasun to Deputy Minister of Transport Igor Chalik, the press service of the Ministry of Transport confirmed the information.
In the material, the publication separately notes several times that in world aviation "the dismantling of aircraft for spare parts or the removal of individual units is a normal phenomenon." At the same time, the dismantling of aircraft for spare parts is not illegal, but simply “not regulated”.
It is also proposed to allow the rearrangement of spare parts between aircraft of different airlines. The Ministry of Transport has already begun to develop documents, the permit may come into force from March 2023. According to sources of the publication, this issue was raised in July at a conference on the operation of aircraft in the Federal Air Transport Agency.
Today, federal aviation regulations (FAR No. 285) restrict such actions: the rules do not provide for the removal of a serviceable component and its installation on another aircraft. Airlines propose to amend Government Decree No. 353 “On the specifics of licensing activities in the Russian Federation in 2022” and its aviation part. It follows from the amendment that when a part is removed, it should be issued a certificate of validity, a suitability and condition analysis should be carried out, and the component should also be re-evaluated and tested after installation on another vessel.
The founder of the RunAvia flight safety service, Andrey Patrakov, said that until March 2022, all Russian aviation was serviced according to the standards of other jurisdictions – Bermuda, Ireland and other countries. According to him, this is why it is difficult to check whether the replacement of spare parts is carried out accurately and safely.
“Because it was they who issued permits for aircraft and were responsible for its suitability. And in those countries there are clarifications and clear recommendations on how to remove, inspect, test and rearrange parts.”
He added that in Russia, each maintenance organization relies on internal documents that are coordinated with the Federal Air Transport Agency. The expert notes that there is no single approach and norms.
In August, Reuters reported that sanctioned Russian airlines, including Aeroflot, were stripping planes to stockpile parts they could no longer buy abroad. Aeroflot's Sukhoi Superjet 100 and the practically new Airbus A350 are already being dismantled. The company also took equipment and spare parts from Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft for its other liners.
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, tough sanctions began to be imposed on the Russian Federation, which also affected the aviation industry. US authorities closed exports for Russian airlines in April. Also, the EU Aviation Safety Committee has included Aeroflot and a number of other Russian airlines in the list of carriers that are prohibited or restricted from flying within the EU. In April, it became known that Russian airlines operating domestic Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft cannot repair and maintain Russian-French SaM146 engines in good condition.
Later, the EU, Britain, and the US Treasury eased sanctions on goods for civil aviation. The United States has made indulgences for operations related to the supply, export of goods, technologies or services to ensure the safety of civil aviation. A prerequisite for transactions is the registration of aircraft intended only for civil aviation outside of Russia. The Council of the EU specified that interaction with Russia on aviation goods and services would be allowed to the extent required to meet the safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The UK Department of Foreign Trade, in turn, eased sanctions against Russia in the field of insurance of the aviation industry, the easing will also not apply to goods and technologies of military aviation.
