How do you solve the problem of shortage of spare parts for planes? (in Russian way)

The aviation sector in Russian Federation is in a critical situation due to a shortage of spare parts necessary to keep planes in top condition. But it seems that the country has found a way to solve this material shortage. But in what way?

Boeing 777 operated by a Russia aviation company – illustrative photo. Image credit: hans-johnson via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

The invasion of Ukraine by the forces of the Russian Federation resulted in global sanctions imposed on the invading country.

Aviation is just one of many industrial areas where those economic limitations are felt the most. Any aircraft experiences natural wear and it requires periodic renewal. But, this is not easy to do when there are only very few spare parts in the warehouses.

But Russia seems to have found a solution to circumvent the impact of sanctions – the aircraft will be repaired and maintained less often.

Of course, in most countries, aircraft maintenance cycles are quite frequent due to particularly strict safety requirements. In short term, reducing the frequency of technical inspections may not cause huge problems. But in the long term, negative issues are unavoidable.

Currently, as much as 95% of the total passenger flow in the Russian Federation is transported using planes produced in Western countries. Parts for these vehicles are not produced in Russia.

The situation is already quite severe – in 2022, 85 Russian aircraft did not receive permission to take off at foreign international airports due to their inadequate technical condition. But they receive these permissions to fly in the territory of their home country.

Rostransnadzor, a company that oversees transportation-related regulations, already announced it will be increasing intervals between airplane technical checks.

In practice, this means that flying on an airplane in the Russian Federation will be a more risky choice for passengers from now on.