Sanctions are taking their toll: half of the Airbus fleet in Russia has ceased operations, according to media reports.

One of the leading companies in Russia has suspended the operation of half of its fleet of western Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft due to the inability to carry out maintenance and repairs. This has been reported by Russian media.

The company S7, which owns 66 such aircraft, has been forced to send 34 planes to storage. Almost half of them may not return to service due to engine maintenance issues.

Due to the advanced technologies of these aircraft, which are quite complex, it is currently impossible to perform maintenance and repairs on the engines because of the imposed sanctions. Additionally, the Russian owner of the S7 aircraft cannot purchase new replacement engines—sanctions and Airbus's exit from the Russian market prevent the repair of these planes.

Russian media reports that the most challenging situation involves aircraft equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines and LEAP engines. While the former cannot be supplied due to the refusal of the owners, the latter presents "difficulties, though not as severe."

Journalists note that the A320/A321neo fleet makes up about 10% of the entire foreign aviation fleet in Russia. Experts have stated that the existing issues will "critically impact" the volume of air transportation in Russia. S7's assessments also indicate that the withdrawal of all A320/A321neo from operation would mean a reduction in cargo transport by up to 15% as early as next year.

We also reported that air travel in Russia is becoming increasingly dangerous. According to aviation safety expert Andrey Patrakov, Russian authorities are allowing airlines to use parts whose service life has long expired.