Ural Airlines has confirmed that it plans to fly its stranded Airbus A320 from the field it landed on during an emergency on September 12, 2023.
The Russian carrier published a statement on its Telegram channel on October 3, 2023, announcing that there were a number of options available.
Ural Airlines said that tests carried out had shown that the “engines will not require refurbishment”.
The airline also confirmed that the engine flow section was “cleared of soil and straw, which was confirmed by repeated inspection”.
“An in-depth examination of the aircraft structure and preparation for storage are being carried out,” the carrier said.
The airline revealed that it is in the process of waiting for lifts to “carry out landing gear testing, testing of components and additional studies of the aircraft design.”
“The plan also includes dismantling the seats to make the aircraft lighter,” the Telegram post read.
The Airbus A320 registration RA-73805 landed in the field just outside of Novosibirsk, a city in southern Siberia, Russia, after running low on fuel.
The aircraft had been due to land at Omsk Tsentralny Airport (OMS) after flying from Sochi International Airport (AER) but was unable to land and requested to go to the Novosibirsk Airport (OVB) instead.
Following the incident, it was reported that the Airbus A320 experienced a failure of its hydraulic system as it approached OMS, although passengers on the flight were allegedly told the diversion was due to unflyable weather conditions.
As flight U61383 headed towards OVB, the captain became fearful that the aircraft would not make it to its destination and took the extreme decision to land in a field.
According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, there were 167 people on board, including 23 children and 6 crew members.
