The CEO of Yakutia named the reasons for the dismantling of two superjets

Yakutia Airlines proposes to terminate the contract with the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC) for the lease of only one of the two dismantled SSJ100s. Andrey Vinokurov, CEO of Yakutia, announced this to Vedomosti on the sidelines of the Transport Week 2022 forum.

He acknowledged that under the current conditions, the aircraft’s engines are indeed impossible to repair, as their hot part is damaged. Repair SaM146 can only be carried out by PowerJet at facilities located in France, Vinokurov explained. In addition to engines, there are problems with auxiliary power units, chassis and components, he added. “The airline intends to bring the second dismantled superjet into a state of airworthiness in March 2023,” said the general director of Yakutia. Vinokurov noted that the second superjet is “not very understaffed”: one engine has already been repaired in Russia (there was a problem with the cold part), the second airline also expects to bring the United Engine Corporation into serviceable condition, and for “components we are working closely with “Irkut”. In total, the airline leases four superjets from STLC. Yakutia received its first aircraft in January 2013.

Earlier, Vedomosti reported that the Yakutia airline cannibalized two of the four SSJ100s leased from STLC. This was revealed during a recent extraordinary monitoring of the condition of aircraft, which was carried out by specialists from the leasing company and an independent technical expert. STLC intends to start the process of withdrawing dismantled superjets from Yakutia in the near future, Vedomosti sources said and a STLC representative confirmed.

Vinokurov emphasizes that the “problematic” aircraft had undergone technical deformation even before the sanctions imposed after the start of the special operation in Ukraine. “One aircraft in 2018, the second in 2021. The reasons were different,” he says. For a long time it was not possible to repair aircraft, first because of the pandemic, then the situation was aggravated by sanctions, Vinokurov explained. “We should not forget about covid, the consequences of which we experienced in 2019-2021. We are a small regional company that is very sensitive to all external changes. Moreover, we work in such a remote region as the Far North. In 2020, our traffic volume fell by 40%, there was no time for repairs,” Vinokurov said, recalling that the costs of repair and replacement of spare parts are denominated in foreign currency, and their cost fluctuates with the dollar.

While the airline stood in line for repairs, while it found funding, sanctions were imposed on Russia, Vinokurov continues. After the sanctions, the logistics of deliveries of spare parts lengthened, he says. If earlier they reached the city of Yakutsk in 2-3 days, now it takes from 60 to 90 days. “In order to maintain the airworthiness of other vessels, the engines were removed. Repair of the engine takes several months, and the passengers are waiting for me, they need to fly today. This is, in principle, a normal practice in such situations,” Vinokurov explained.

The debt of Yakutia to STLC in the amount of 1.6 billion rubles. the airline intends to restructure, Vinokurov said. He explained that it was formed during the pandemic period.

As for the accusations of the lack of timely maintenance of aircraft, the case mentioned by Vedomosti with the replacement of the windshield in the SSJ100 occurred in South Korea in Yang-Yang, Vinokurov noted. “Now imagine how glass will be delivered to you there, which, moreover, at that time was not in stock in the Russian Federation. Something had to be done on the spot. The airline made the replacement on its own in a very short time,” Vinokurov said.

Earlier, a Vedomosti source said that in 2020, one of the superjets operated by Yakutia needed to replace the glass in the cockpit. “But the airline, instead of contacting the manufacturer, most likely decided to do the work on its own. As a result, apparently, they forgot to put the plugs in place – and the board was flooded with rain, ”the Vedomosti source said. Vinokurov recalled that Yakutia has been operating the SSJ100 for almost 10 years: “Our airline was the first SSJ operator in the Far East. We have invested a lot in these aircraft: they were certified for flights in extreme conditions – up to minus 50 degrees. And to say that we are some kind of amateurs is at least incorrect.” According to him, he is “embarrassed for the team”.