Western “partners” miscalculated with sanctions against the Russian aviation industry

After the introduction of economic sanctions against Russian aviation a year ago, the collective West expected wholesale cancellation of flights and the so-called “cannibalism” in the country’s airlines. But loud predictions were not destined to come true.

The industry has demonstrated resistance to restrictions, increased passenger traffic, established production, supply of spare parts and continued stable development in the context of import substitution. At the same time, journalists who predicted the imminent death of domestic aviation are increasingly recognizing: sanctions did not work. Details are published in our material.

“Cannibalism” canceled

This term in the aviation industry refers to the situation when airlines, due to the lack of components, are forced to dismantle some aircraft in order to maintain the performance of others. It was this scenario that the leadership of the countries that imposed sanctions against civil aviation in Russia expected at the beginning of last year. Apparently, they miscalculated.

“As of now, we do not see the practice of cannibalization. The vast majority of aircraft remaining in the country, which at the time of the imposition of sanctions were in a state of airworthiness, have retained this state. Airlines have found alternative channels for the supply of both original spare parts and non-original spare parts approved by the manufacturer,” says Oleg Panteleev, head of the analytical department of the Aviaport agency. The expert is convinced that at the end of the first quarter of 2023, the industry remains resilient, stable and safe for passengers.

At the beginning of the year, the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Alexander Neradko, said that the ban on the supply of spare parts from the “sanctioned” countries had no effect on the safety of flights in Russia. “I have confidence that it has not become more dangerous to fly. And this has nothing to do with the presence or absence of original spare parts, ” he summed up.

Planes fly, route networks grow

Flight safety is ensured, but what about the decline in passenger traffic? It seems that here, too, our foreign colleagues missed the mark with their prediction of an inevitable collapse. Over the past year of work under restrictions, the Russian aviation industry not only did not sag in terms of passenger traffic, but also continued to expand route networks within the country.

“Not only did we not reduce the volume of traffic, but even increased it. The shock experienced by the transport industry last year has been overcome,” continues Oleg Panteleev. In fact, no dramatic decline in traffic occurred. Passengers continue to fly, airlines increase the frequency of flights and introduce new routes.

As for international flights, there was no blockade by the collective West either. Today, over two dozen countries are connected with the Russian Federation by direct regular flights. And docking in the friendly air harbors of Turkey or the UAE allows the passenger to fly to anywhere in the world without any problems.

Domestic aviation straightens its shoulders

Despite attempts to strangle the aviation industry in Russia, carriers feel more than confident.

Airlines, among other things, update and develop software. At the end of 2022, Deputy Minister of Transport Dmitry Bakanov announced the transition of all Russian airlines to domestic booking systems.

“Airlines have been able to switch to domestic booking systems and are now successfully selling tickets in Russia and abroad, carrying passengers on Russian and international routes. A colossal challenge was to make the transition in a short time. But Pobeda, Aeroflot and other airlines have successfully coped with this,” Oleg Panteleev noted.

The update reliably protected the data of airlines, crews and passengers from leakage, and also ensured the stable implementation of air transportation without being tied to foreign systems and services.

Active work is underway to ensure uninterrupted maintenance of aircraft in Russia. Aeroflot created Russia’s largest aircraft maintenance provider – “A-Technics”. The company will receive six hangar complexes for use in order to simultaneously serve up to 19 different types of aircraft.

“Aviation is a global system of economic relations. It is impossible to stop international cooperation due to the decision of a number of states that have imposed sanctions against domestic civil aviation,” summarized head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko.