Russia to start cannibalising aircraft in weeks - report

Russia will soon be forced to start cannibalising the aircraft on its territory because the sanctions regime means no new spare parts are being delivered. The trend may culminate in a mass grounding, so that by 2025 between half and two-thirds of all commercial aircraft in the country could be inoperable, the newspaper Kommersant reported citing a Ministry of Transport report that has not been made public. The draft report on the development of Russia’s aviation sector until 2030 maps out two scenarios, one “baseline”, the other pessimistic. In the worst-case scenario, the country could face serious shortages from the second half of this year, a matter of weeks from now, when foreign-made aircraft will start to be “intensively reduced” and dismantled. The ministry developed the document in accordance with instructions from President Vladimir Putin following a meeting on March 31. It sent a copy of the document to Russia’s Association of Air Transport Operators for familiarisation. Kommersant said its authenticity was confirmed by sources at the ministry, the association, and two airlines.<br/>