Commission doubts Russian authority’s ability to cope with expanded safety oversight

European regulators have expressed doubts over Russian authorities’ ability to exercise sufficient safety oversight of the large number of leased foreign-owned aircraft seized by the government after sanctions were imposed on the air transport sector. The EC has detailed its reasons for blacklisting 21 airlines over their continued operation of hundreds of aircraft grounded by Bermudan and Irish civil aviation authorities respectively on 12 and 15 March. In documentation accompanying the blacklist, the Commission states that Russian air transport regulator Rosaviatsia has assumed oversight functions “without any co-ordination” with Bermudan and Irish counterparts. “There is no verifiable evidence to conclude that [Rosaviatsia] has developed the necessary safety oversight capacity to adequately perform such an extended oversight responsibility on such short notice, and over such an extensive number of aircraft,” it adds. Rosaviatsia had previously stated that it had granted extended certification to a number of maintenance organisations to broaden their capabilities to include additional Airbus and Boeing models. The Russian government has sought to assume oversight responsibility by placing the aircraft on the domestic register, without the consent of the aircraft owners or safety-related collaboration with the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority or Irish Aviation Authority. Such action is “in breach” of the Chicago Convention article which states that aircraft cannot be validly registered in more than one country, says the Commission documentation. “As a result of the applicable restrictive measures, engineering and technical support to [Russian airlines] has become limited,” it adds.<br/>