Russian Airlines Contend With Worsening Spare Parts Shortage

May 03, 2023

Russia's aviation industry continues to look for ways to substitute the Western-made aircraft spare parts and equipment that its carriers need to keep their fleets operational.

More than a year has passed since Western sanctions were imposed that banned deliveries of commercial aircraft and provision of maintenance services to Russia, which came after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While the Russian government ordered local airlines to keep their fleets flying, the shortage of spare parts has become increasingly painful.

A source from a Russian airline confirmed to Aviation Week earlier reports in Russian media that the industry's local regulator, Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), had banned cleaning of fuel filters for SaM146 turbofan engines until the Russian manufacturer, UEC Saturn, conducts formal certification of the procedure.

SaM146 engines equip Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional aircraft. Russian carriers now operate over 130 SSJ100s, which serve as workhorses not only for domestic services but also on an increasing number of international routes.

The filter-washing process was approved by UEC Saturn in September 2022. It was seen as a temporary measure to keep the engines operational after SaM146 manufacturer PowerJet, a joint venture between UEC Saturn and France's Safran, stopped supplying spare parts, including the filter.

The filter was designed especially for SaM146 by Safran Filtration Systems, based in Nexon, France. The engine's filter is usually changed every 2,000-2,500 flight hr. with the cleaning process intended to extend operations for only a few extra days.

UEC told Aviation Week that the cleaning approval was likely to be certified by Rosaviatsiya imminently. Meanwhile, the manufacturer has tested a prototype of the Russian-made substitution for the fuel filters, parent Rostec Corporation reported in January. It promised that certification and first deliveries of the indigenous filter would start soon, but no further progress has been disclosed since.

The lack of fuel filters is not the only problem that SSJ100 operators face. Developed in the early 2000s, the 100-seat aircraft program was led by Sukhoi but leveraged technologies from leading global suppliers.

A report by Russian business newspaper RBK Daily in March cited six Russian airlines warning about the shortage of SaM146 igniter plugs. The igniters and exciters for the powerplants were supplied by Jacksonville, Florida-based Unison Industries, a subsidiary of GE Aerospace. While the Russian carriers reportedly still have some spare plugs, if no domestic substitution is found soon, they will have to cut back on SSJ100 operations.

Rostec previously reported that UEC is also working on the Russian-made igniters for SaM146 and planned first deliveries before the end of the year.

While the lack of foreign-made spares has had an impact on operating Russian-built aircraft, the shortage is more acute when it comes to flying the more than 600 Western-made commercial aircraft in Russia. Most of these were seized from international lessors following the invasion of Ukraine and have been transferred to the local registry, while Rosaviatsiya formally charged local MRO providers with maintaining this fleet.

Sources from the country's aircraft industry tell Aviation Week that while some Western aircraft spares are still being channeled into Russia through places such as Turkey and Southeast Asia, these inflows have gradually been shut down. Larger components, such as engines and landing gears, have been particularly difficult to get hold of.

Dmitry Kudelkin, the head of Russia's second largest airline operator, S7 Group, was quoted by Russian media on April 25 admitting that the supply of spare parts had become even more challenging. The carrier operates 100 passenger jets, including Airbus A320, Boeing 737 and Embraer E170 aircraft. S7's fleet is maintained by its subsidiary, S7 Technics, which is one of Russia's largest MRO providers.

In March, S7 Technics acquired a majority stake in Berdsk Electromechanical Plant (BEMZ), a Russian manufacturer of components for commercial and military aircraft. According to BEMZ director Vasily Yurchenko, S7 plans to use the facility to test and manufacture aircraft parts.

S7 Technics had secured EASA Part 21G and J approvals which allowed it to make interior modifications and manufacture some interior design components. But EASA suspended all Russian-related certificates a year ago. The company now works only under a similar Russian FAP-21J document.

However, there are doubts about the viability of this strategy. The manufacturing of spare parts for Western-made jets is not permitted without the approval of the OEMs, says Seattle-based aviation consultant Boris Rybak.

He notes that while Russian MRO providers earned significant expertise in the base maintenance of Western narrowbody aircraft over the past decade, they had only just started to develop similar capabilities for widebodies. "About 70% of total maintenance work with the Russian-operated aircraft has been done outside the country," Rybak says.

Russian carriers were particularly relying on foreign MROs for the repair of aircraft engines, avionics, hydraulics, landing gear and other components. While these systems used to be sent abroad for maintenance, they are now swapped with those on grounded aircraft.

"All maintenance on Western-made aircraft in Russia is now entirely illegal since the approvals from Russian authorities for these services are merely pieces of paper, not approved or accepted by either OEM or international authorities," Rybak concludes.