Summary
- Peskov: Putin won’t die in plane crash; uses reliable domestic aircraft.
- Russian aircraft may now be reliable, but Aeroflot has deadliest record.
- Russian aviation incidents doubled in past year; danger of shoot-downs.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin Spokesman, has said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not die in a plane crash as he only uses reliable domestic airplanes. Recently, the Iranian President died in a helicopter crash after his Bell-212 helicopter hit a mountain in thick fog. Separately, the Vice President of the southern African nation of Malawai died after his Dornier Do228 crashed.
Kremlin says Russian planes “very reliable”
Dmitry Peskov made the remarks while discussing the recent plane crashes that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima. According to reporting by the Russian state media company TASS, Peskov said Putin’s domestic aircraft are “very reliable.” He added, “Of course, they need special maintenance due to their high technology.”
Photo: Telsek | Shutterstock.
He went on to say, “All machinery in our country that transports citizens is also maintained at the proper level. There are very strict standards in this regard.” Peskov made these claims despite an uptick in Russian aviation incidents following Western sanctions and Russia’s fleets of Airbus and Boeing airliners being cut off from Western parts and maintenance.
The aviation company Rossiya transports the Russian president and other VIPs with its special flight squadron. The unit uses Russian/Soviet-produced Il-96s, Tu-214 airplanes, and Mi-38 helicopters. Separately, a Russian/Soviet-produced Tu-154 crashed in 2010, killing the President of Poland while operating in Russia.
Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock
While it may be almost certain that the special Rossiya flight squadron’s aircraft are properly maintained, Russia’s and the Soviet Union’s aviation records leave much to be desired. In February, the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre revealed that Russian flight safety incidents have more than doubled over the last year. Safety incidents rose from 37 cases in 2022 to 81 in 2023.
The Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has the unenviable distinction of being the deadliest airline in history (although most of the incidents took place in the Soviet Union when it flew Soviet aircraft). The Telegraph reported that the Aircraft Crashes Record Office calculated in 2016 that 8,231 passengers had died in Aeroflot crashes over the years—five times more than the next deadliest airline (Air France, at 1,783 deaths). Aeroflot has operated for 100 years.
Photo: Art Konovalov | Shutterstock
Unable to purchase Western aircraft, Aeroflot is once again looking to operate Russian-produced aircraft (namely the MC-21). Due to sanctions, the aircraft’s engines and other systems will be fully Russian.
Related
Russian Aircraft Incidents Have Tripled In 2023 As Airlines Struggle To Maintain Planes
There have been over 180 incidents this year.
Another danger above Moscow
Another danger seems to lurk skies over Russia in the form of shoot-downs. On 23 August 2023, an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet carrying the infamous Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was apparently shot down near Moscow (the Wagner Group is a Russian state-funded private military company). Just two weeks prior, Prigozhin had led an abortive mutiny and march on Moscow, during which around half a dozen Russian military aircraft were shot down by the rebelling group.
According to the BBC, a Telegram channel linked to the Wagner Group claimed Prigozhin’s aircraft had been shot down by Russia. Outside observers suggested it was shot down or was brought down by a bomb onboard. In incidents like this, it doesn’t matter how well the aircraft is maintained.