Russia stripping its passenger jets to secure spare parts and keep airlines functioning

Russia's airline sector is going through a tough period amid its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Reportedly, state-controlled Aeroflot has resorted to stripping its passenger jets to barebones to obtain spare parts, which it cannot find otherwise as the West has closed its doors.

According to a Reuters report, Russia and its airline sector is heavily dependent on Western countries to secure spare parts, required to keep the jetliners in the air. However, the sanctions imposed by the West mean that Russian planes cannot receive the parts, thus forcing the hand of Russian authorities to take a cannibalistic approach.

Reportedly, Aeroflot has stripped down its Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s and recovered the spare parts to be fitted into other Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s.

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Moreover, Aeroflot's three out of seven Airbus A350s have already been stripped apart and used to operate on the remaining four jetliners.

While switching parts between jets is a known practice, doing so frequently poses a danger to the aircraft's operability efficiency. Many parts have a limited life that must be logged. Thus, itis perhaps the reason that such jets do not receive permission to re-enter the global airskies.

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The trouble is expected to compound in the coming days and months as the newer generation of passenger jets such as Boeing 737 MAX, 787, A320neo and A350 amongst others require frequent upgradation.

It is pertinent to note that Russia's Sukhoi superjets are also heavily dependent on foreign parts. Aeroflot owns 80 Russia-made Sukhoi Superjet-100 planes and procuring the materials is proving to be a tough task. If the current trend continues, Russia will have a hard time keeping its modern fleet of jets in service.

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While the Western world is not helping Russia, companies in Asia and Western Asia have also refused to step in, fearing secondary sanctions.

Prior to the war, Aeroflot was one of the biggest global players. However, its traffic has fallen a record 22 per cent since then and the company is now completely reliant on state support to continue its operations.

(With inputs from agencies)

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