Number of Western airliners in fleet of Russian airlines decreases

Western sanctions have been causing Russian airlines to lose planes.

Source: The Moscow Times, citing data from the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency

Details: Between the end of October 2023 and 26 June 2024, the number of airliners in the fleets of Russia’s 13 largest airlines fell by 3%, to 693 aircraft.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, 12 planes belonging to the Aeroflot group were out of service during the reporting period. At the same time, 19 aircraft are currently on "conservation."

In addition, S7 and Yamal companies lost five planes, while UTair and Aeroflot lost two more. 

The primary cause for the increase in the number of retired aircraft is the difficulty in maintaining and repairing foreign airliners.

In 2023, Russian airlines transported 105 million people, which is 10% more than in 2022 but 22% less than in 2019. This year, the expected passenger traffic of airlines would decrease by 7%, reaching 98.1 million people.

Background: 

• Despite sanctions preventing the delivery of foreign aircraft, a business jet named Airbus A320neo valued over US$115 million arrived in Russia.
• Russia committed over US$12 billion in government subsidies and loans to keep its airline industry running after Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine cut off shipments of critical equipment and maintenance services to Russia.

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