Russian Aviation Safety Incidents Double Amid Western Sanctions

Last year’s safety incidents doubled compared to 2022
The number of accidents began to surge in 2022
Major flight software updates prohibited
Struggling to use parts from other aircraft

Last year, safety incidents involving Russian aircraft doubled. Major foreign media outlets have analyzed the fact that this is caused by the inability to secure maintenance and spare parts for aircraft as economic sanctions against Russia intensified following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited an analysis by German aviation information company Jacdec, reporting on the 4th (local time) that “Russian aviation safety incidents (of aircraft with 19 or more seats) were 36 in 2022, but increased to 74 last year.”

Aviation data company Cirium also came out with similar statistics. Based on the flight records of scheduled aircraft, it was found that there were 4.5 safety incidents per 100,000 flights in 2019. This is close to the aviation industry average and does not change significantly unless there are any abnormal circumstances. However, this figure increased in Russia to 5.0 in 2022, while there were 9.9 safety incidents per 100,000 departures last year.

This includes cases where departures were delayed or canceled due to malfunctions found during the final safety check before takeoff.

The WSJ reported, “Most accidents avoided disasters such as serious casualties, but safety experts warn that ongoing mechanical problems pose a major risk to passenger safety.”

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2021, Russia has not been able to receive parts from Western aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus. Spare parts, maintenance and repair parts, and major software updates for aircraft operation are prohibited.

The WSJ stated, “Russian aviation authorities have repeatedly claimed that aircraft safety has not been compromised due to economic sanctions,” but “did not respond to the WSJ’s request for an official position based on safety incident statistics.”

According to the WSJ, Russian aviation authorities are pushing for major aircraft maintenance. They are going for the introduction of new legislation to be able to manufacture replacement parts on their own. They are also considering having parts supplied from grounded aircraft. They have also extended the regular maintenance intervals set by aircraft manufacturers.