With harsh sanctions continuing and no end in sight to the quagmire in Ukraine, Russian airlines are preparing to deploy cannibalistic tactics in order to survive the year.
Russian Airlines Prepare To Cannibalize Spare Parts – Let The Problems Begin
Pobeda, the low-cost subsidiary of Aeroflot Russian Airlines, has announced that it is trimming its fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft from 43 to 25 due to a lack of parts. Pobeda hopes this move will help it survive “through the end of the year.”
I discussed the implications of this earlier in the month, but let’s look at this from both the angle of Pobeda (and presumably other Russian airlines which will be forced to follow similar tactics) and that of the aircraft lessors.
Airbus and Boeing have cut off Russia from its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) supply line. Furthermore, sanctions against Russia prohibit other nations or individuals from selling these parts to Russia. As such, if a part breaks or needs to be replaced, Russian carriers can either take the aircraft out of service or pull off the necessary part from another aircraft.
Pobeda’s move shows that it has chosen the latter option and will cannibalize exiting aircraft to keep as many planes in service as possible.
Due to a lack of spare parts, Pobeda airlines is cutting its fleet from 41 down to 25, hoping supplies will last until the end of the year. pic.twitter.com/QgpyiHZUeO
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 25, 2022
Russia is not totally out of options, however. Enterprising individuals in China, India, Israel, Mexico and other friendly or natural nations to the Russian Federation will find black market channels to funnel parts into Russia. Even that, however, is fraught with risk and supply likely inefficient to keep up with demand.
For aircraft lessors, this move by Pobeda is devastating. Even as Russia has re-registered aircraft and maintenance records will presumably continue, the lack of verifiable records will render the fleet practically worthless. The decision by Russia to ban its airlines from returning lease aircraft not only provides immediate hurt for aircraft lessors, but long-term damage since the gap in records between now and whenever the conflict ends represents an insurmountable risk to leasing the aircraft to a new client.
CONCLUSION
With no end in sight to the war or sanctions, Russians airlines are already beginning to cannibalize their fleets. This spells not only bad new for the lessors of these aircraft, but for the airlines themselves. Even with black market parts flowing in, fleet attrition will result, limiting routes, limiting jobs, and limiting any hope of recovery once the dust settles.
> Read More:
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- Europe’s Fastest Growing Airline…I’ve Never Heard Of it
- Aeroflot’s Dream Of Glory Mimics Russia’s
image: xorrt / Instagram
Russia will just have to make their own planes. Good thing they already manufacture their own commercial jets that are currently flying and being produced. The main issue is a lack of long range commercial airliners as they stopped making the Il-96.
Russia might have problems sourcing parts and flying long range for commercial (not for military as they are building new supersonic nuclear bombers; a new T160M) but Europe will have a problem with fueling their planes if Russia off gas and oil supply to Europe.
Boeing putting lives at risk by making a stupid business decision based on public sentiment. No wonder the company is worth less than half as it was 4 years ago.
Meanwhile Americans are more concerned about a guy slapping another guy than our “President” ad libbing about taking the President of a nuclear juggernaut out. Such silly clowns the American public is at times.
You won’t like my last post today. Just warning you.
As always, I’ll live.
Just reading stuff that you agree with is what liberals do. I can handle it.
I hope you don’t care what he thinks. Isn’t this the same guy who blasted you for going to Thailand? Doesn’t he think anyone going there is a child molester?
It’s obvious from this and his other posts he has a very limited view of the world which he gets vicariously.
In this case it sounds like a Tucker comment just regurgitated through a fool’s mouth (and I’m not a liberal saying this).
YES, I am the guy who still has a problem with a country that openly allows, or does little about the child sex tourist industry. And yes, I don’t believe Americans should support such a place. Too many other places to see and visit. No different than China for human rights violations, it should be boycotted. But money always talks over common decency.
And NO, I don’t believe everyone who visits Thailand F’s young boys and girls, but they are complacent in it continuing. JMO.
Yes. Stopping the senseless murders and destruction by an invading modern day Hitler by using financial sanctions is crazy, right. Why not save us all time and write your comments in Russian next time.
LOL! Like you people suddenly care about what a President says. After four years of ignorant blather from Trump, sucking up to dictators and war criminals and constantly running his mouth with statements that were constantly being ‘clarified’ and ‘walked back’ you want us to believe you’re all ‘worried’ and ‘worked up’ when Biden speaks the truth? Are you kidding me? You people really believe the rest of the country is as stupid as you are. Good luck with that.
Go move to Russia….you’ll fit right in and feel right at home.
Pobeda (победа) means “victory” in Russian.
Winning…
I also find the news that Aeroflot is turning towards Sukhoi Superjets (which have Russian engines as well) for a hub and spoke system via Sochi to be fascinating. These are desperate times when you repurpose these poorly designed aircraft to become your mainstay for the few International flights you can actually run. Good luck with that.
I honestly believe they all thought this would be over in weeks and a resolution or victory would be at hand. And true democratic nations would bow to them in acceptance for Oil and whatever the hell a country just above Canada in GDP provides. How embarrassing for all that support this madman. How tragic for those so blindly following when, despite what everyone says, many Russians can easily access the actual news on the raping of Ukraine and the daily murder of its people.
Oh, and I guess we are finding out that their “Powerful Military” is actually nothing more than the comparable of AA bragging about the delicious Turkey Pastrami sandwich that people lick their lips for on 4 hour flights. What a buffoon Putin is. What a joke we are finding Russia to actually be in the end. McCain was right, “It’s a gas station pretending to be a Nation.”
Will be writing about Sukhoi Superjets issue later in week.
True democratic nations criminalize speech and seize bank accounts of people who donate $25 to those protesting government tyranny. True democratic nations arrest christians for going to church or bankrupt bakers for not wanting to bake a cake.
There is more freedom in Russia than there is in Canada and Europe.
“There is more freedom in Russia than there is in Canada and Europe.”
For the average citizen there was no difference between the US, pre sanction Russia and china except perhaps a few differences in rights to protest. You are pretty much a peon in service of the rich oligarchs and their crony politicians buddies. China, Russia and the US are fighting because the cabal of the rich in each of these countries hates the other and sends its armies to fight each other. Nothing has changed from feudal times except the fashion.
Comparing the Russian military to the AA turkey pastrami sandwich is probably my favorite aviation related metaphor of the week. Good work!
Oh, the knuckle-dragging Russian trolls are out, as usual, parroting the usual Russian talking points. Fascist scum.
There will be plenty of damage and collateral damage from Russia’s theft of these aircraft. Though the Russians will continue to fly the stolen planes, they will soon become worthless (well, some residual value as the spare parts are removed and carted off, then just scrap value…and there are already plenty of scrapped aircraft scattered across Russia).
The leasing companies will be writing these off soon — they’ll never see them again. They, and their insurance companies, will take big financial hits.
Russian airlines will never be able to lease another airplane ever again. Russians will face fewer flight options and rapidly escalating costs, as time goes by. Flying on Russian airlines will be increasingly dangerous, too.
Because anyone who doesn’t give a F about the crying baby in the Ukraine is a Russian troll. How about F Putin, F Russia and F the comedian that wants us to get involved and start WW3.
There are no “stolen” planes, only bleeding heart liberals (great to use that term again) who don’t give a flying F about human rights violations around the world but now “care” so much about the people in Ukraine. Why? Because they hate Trump so much and he lives in their heads so they have to believe it’s the 80’s again. Liberals are so easy to see through. Sad they waste that education on so much hate toward others who disagree with their superiority complex.
As Dice said….Here’s to you Dick….sucking my dick.
So that’s what it is? Protecting innocent people from the likes of a Hitler wanna be is because so called liberals are against Trump? You’re brain is scrambled. Your lack of interject and vitriol for anything not ‘Qanon approved is revealing. Sorry you look to blend others for you luck of success in life, but normal people care for innocent citizens being bombed. You should seek professional mental counseling. Do it fast, but it may be too late
Please leave Florida, I would like to think you are intelligent enough to realize there is no place left for liberals like you here anymore. Maybe you can win a local race here and there in St Pete or Sarasota but statewide and Nationally your vote is WORTHLESS. But you might feel good for a couple minutes voting for the old man Charlie, the dumb C Nikki or the racist Val but it’s just a waste of time.
Florida is no longer a place for liberals. Read the room buddy.
LOL….like Val Demmings is a racist. You people never stop gas lighting do you?
And also you can’t add….they are 11 (of 27) bleeding heart liberals in Congress from the lovely Florida swamp. And I wonder how many there would be if Kennedy were a Republican?
More importantly, who is the FA in this post? More of her please:)
LOL!!! I was about to say that if that FA ends up losing her job I hope Delta hires her immediately.
Hell yeah. She doesn’t even have to actually work. Just walk up and down the aisle and smile.
Not walking, strutting is more like it.
Yup. When fatties don’t hide behind positive body image BS to not lose weight, the results astounding.
I can’t imagine anyone defending fatties right to stay fat. They should lose for their own health.
And this is why eastern airlines are better than western airlines. Slim decent looking flight attendants makes all the difference so I try to avoid United, AA, air canada across the ocean, whenever possible.
How is this different then what Iran has been doing for last how many ever years? They’ve managed to survive.
There is surviving. And there is prospering. A vast valley of difference between the two.
Isn’t that the purpose of the sanctions?