Sanctions on Russian Airlines Lead Moscow to Request ICAO Review
Russia has asked the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ease sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine, which have severely hampered airlines' access to spare parts and threaten flight safety.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.
Russia is calling on ICAO to ease sanctions imposed in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine, which have restricted its airlines' access to spare parts and aircraft flights.
Moscow calls these restrictions “illegal coercive measures” and claims that they pose risks to flight safety, as more than 700 aircraft, mainly Airbus and Boeing, are forced to purchase spare parts through complex indirect routes.
Russian airlines emphasize that the sanctions have a critical impact on domestic transportation in a country that spans 11 time zones. Recent incidents, including the crash of an An-24 aircraft in the Far East that killed 48 people and a cyberattack on Aeroflot that led to the cancellation of dozens of flights, show the deteriorating state of the fleet.
Moscow cites the example of the US, which recently lifted sanctions on the Belarusian state airline Belavia, which supported Russia in the war against Ukraine, and considers this a precedent for lifting restrictions on Russian airlines.
Russian documents also criticize the closure of the airspace of 37 countries to its airlines, the suspension of airworthiness certificates, and the ban on aircraft maintenance and insurance.
The Russian fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft is aging. Due to restrictions on the import of spare parts, not all aircraft can be kept in working order. In addition, according to a source in Russian aviation, not all parts can be imported through so-called “grey” schemes, which further increases the risk of accidents.
As The Gaze reported earlier, this year, Russian aircraft manufacturers delivered only one of the 15 commercial aircraft planned due to sanctions on foreign components and a lack of investment caused by high interest rates.