Russian sanctions: Rossiya Airlines reportedly plans to furlough 100 Airbus pilots

The trade union representing many pilots at Russian Airline Rossiya has advised that a decision was made to place 100 of its airline pilots on furlough as the airline continues to work through tough sanctions set on Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Rossiya has advised that its decision to place 100 pilots on leave was not made lightly. It was due to the airline deciding to park multiple aircraft that were not used to be harvested for parts. For security purposes, and with sanctions in place for Russian carriers, the airline can no longer rely on imported parts. The Saint Petersburg-based airline currently has 26 Airbus A320 and Airbus A319 aircraft in its fleet, and according to Flightradar24.com, at least four of Rossiya's Airbus aircraft have not left the tarmac recently. With tough sanctions placed on Russia, multiple Russian carriers must look within their borders for parts, as Airbus, Embraer, and Boeing have stopped supplying parts to Russian operators. This has raised various issues and concerns regarding the safety of Russian aircraft as airlines resort to picking parts from their fleet. This cannabilism will eventually lead to the demise of airline fleets as more aircraft are picked for parts. According to Business Daily, the airline advised that the layoffs were necessary to ensure that mass retrenchment was avoided, given these 'emergency circumstances' the airline is in. Flight attendants at this stage will not be affected by the layoffs. However, pilots will be laid off on a rotating schedule for several days per month. This period is set to last between January 1st, to March 31st.<br/>