Russia’s S7 to construct heavy maintenance base at St Petersburg

Russian operator S7 Group’s engineering division is to construct a new aircraft maintenance centre at St Petersburg capable of performing checks on both Russian-built and Western aircraft types. S7 Technics says the centre is intended to service aircraft from the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families as well as the new Irkut MC-21 and Sukhoi Superjet 100. It will be established at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport and will offer a broad range of light and heavy checks, modifications, repairs and maintenance. Construction will commence in 2023 and the centre, which will employ 400 personnel, will be operational by 2025. S7 Technics chief Vladimir Perekrestov says the facility will conduct some 35-40 heavy maintenance operations – comprising C-checks and D-checks – plus around 200 lighter A-checks annually. The centre will “strengthen our position” in the market for domestic and foreign-built aircraft maintenance in Russia, he adds. It will be the fourth technical base for the company after Moscow, Novosibirsk and Mineralnye Vody.<br/>