in 2023, the number of air incidents in Russia has increased – Kommersant

In 2023, Russian operators recorded at least 74 air incidents, which is 38 more than in 2022, writes The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) citing data from the German research company Jacdec, which collects information on plane crashes and incidents.

For every 100 thousand flights in 2023, writes WSJ, there were about 10 accidents, while in 2022 – 5. In most cases, serious damage or disaster was avoided, say experts interviewed by the newspaper.

According to them, many incidents arose as a result of sanctions restrictions: engine fire and failure, failure of flap release. Amid sanctions, aircraft are sent to Iran for maintenance and repair, and a shortage of spare parts for flight simulators hinders the training of new personnel, the newspaper’s interlocutors note.

As Newsweek reported, in 2023 the number of forced landings of Russian aircraft tripled due to technical problems caused by a shortage of spare parts. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, over the 11 months of last year, 670 air incidents were recorded, of which 400 were associated with equipment failure, as well as 8 air accidents (less than in 2022). As Kommersant reported citing department data, the average level of air incidents has remained unchanged since 2019.

Read more in the Kommersant article. “Fitness and Prejudice”.

Lusine Balasyan