As of mid-November, Russian airlines have grounded 34 out of the 66 Airbus A320neo and A321neo planes in their fleets, Kommersant reports.
The groundings stem from difficulties in sourcing replacement engines, manufactured by the U.S. company Pratt & Whitney, due to Western sanctions.
The company hit hardest has been S7 Airlines, which has suspended 31 out of its 39 A320neo and A321neo aircraft, all aged between three and seven years. According to two sources who spoke to Kommersant, the airline plans to conserve the planes’ engines until the next high travel season, when it hopes to return most of the planes to service. However, two other sources said that the engines on more than 20 of S7’s Airbus planes have already reached the end of their operational lifespan.
In addition to S7’s fleet, there are 27 other A320neo and A321neo aircraft in Russia. However, most of these are equipped with French-made LEAP engines, which are considered somewhat less problematic than Pratt & Whitney engines.
If no new repair options emerge, Russia could have to start retiring its Airbus planes on a large scale by 2026, according to several of Kommersant’s sources.
A320/A321neo models make up about 10 percent of foreign long-haul planes in Russia. Kommersant’s sources said they don’t expect these planes’ removal from service to have a major impact on the overall volume of air travel in the country.