Russia Reportedly Using Aircraft for Parts Due to Sanctions

Sanctions Could Have CRIPPLING Effect – Airline Disaster?

(ConservativeHub.com) – Most of the airplanes flown by Russian airlines come from the West. These include popular Boeing and Airbus models. With sanctions imposed on the nation due to the conflict in Ukraine, the manufacturers can no longer sell parts or offer maintenance to the airlines, putting the latter in a bind and allegedly forcing them to salvage pieces from other planes to keep at least some of their fleets in the air.

In an exclusive Reuters report, unnamed sources with insider knowledge said Aeroflot is already deconstructing aircraft to access much-needed parts. The company is even using relatively new aircraft for this purpose, including one Airbus A350.

Exclusive: Russia starts stripping jetliners for parts as sanctions bite https://t.co/5FxWVaTddN pic.twitter.com/E0tpe3KYcM

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 8, 2022

Additionally, the companies might need to continue sacrificing newer planes because parts have limited lifespans, and they must log the life of each piece to be able to fly internationally. Eventually, Russia will fall behind on the required upgrades and technology services that allow these flights to travel outside the country’s borders.

Though Russia has internal resources, some parts and technological updates necessary to keep these planes in the air are unavailable because they must come from the manufacturer. Moscow could seek help from countries that haven’t agreed to Western sanctions, but those countries might refuse for fear of backlash, Reuters reports.

The embargo has created a precarious situation for Aeroflot. According to a June report from Politico, one official pointed out that Russia using Western-made machines without access to the proper services is “very unsafe.” Russia isn’t likely to ground all of its planes, and with estimates saying they can only make the scavenging attempts work until about 2025, the country’s airlines could be flying aircraft that aren’t up to industry standards relatively soon.