WSJ: Number of plane crashes in Russia has doubled amid sanctions

The Wall Street Journal reports this. Likewise, the research company Cirium calculated that in 2023 there were around 9.9 accidents per 100,000 scheduled flight departures, while in 2022 there were five.

It should be noted that most of the incidents did not involve catastrophes or serious injuries, but persistent mechanical problems threaten the safety of airline customers and increase the workload of pilots, which could have more serious consequences in the future.

Experts attribute the increase in the number of accidents to anti-Russian sanctions, which limit airlines’ access to aircraft spare parts, foreign service centers and insurance.

This causes engine fires and failures, breakage of the rubber landing gear during landing, and malfunction of the flaps causing yaw. Firstly, Russian companies are suffering from a shortage of chassis and brakes and are also forced to send ships to Iran for maintenance.

“The sanctions imposed on Russian airlines have made it much more difficult to maintain the airworthiness of aircraft and their technical condition. The accumulated problems create a security threat,” Alexander Lanetsky, general director of the Lithuanian consulting firm Friendly Avia Support, told the publication.

At the same time, Jacdec clarifies that not all incidents last year are related to the consequences of sanctions. Other reasons include bird strikes or situations where a plane was unable to land because a dog ran onto the runway.

In mid-December 2023, the Federal Air Transport Agency stated that there was no upward trend in the number of air incidents. The agency reported that in the first 11 months of 2023, the number of incidents related to aircraft and engine failures decreased by 2% year-on-year.