Russia turns to Kazakhstan for domestic flights as sanctions threaten to halve fleet

The Russian authorities are asking friendly countries for help in organizing domestic flights, as Russian airlines are at risk of a shortage of aircraft. The Ministry of Transport is negotiating with Kazakhstan about the participation of Kazakh airlines in operating flights within Russia, the Moscow Times reported.

These are so-called cabotage flights, where a foreign airline operates flights between cities within another country, a practice currently only permitted to Russian airlines.

“The possibility of allowing cabotage flights is being considered given the aircraft shortage,” said Roman Starovoit, Russia’s transport minister. He added that negotiations were also underway with other countries, but he declined to name them.

According to the report, Russian airlines had a fleet of 850 aircraft before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, but by early 2023 that number had fallen to 736, according to estimates from consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

Sanctions that have banned the supply of Western planes and parts to Russia could result in the fleet being halved by 2026.

Oliver Wyman estimates that there will be a significant reduction in foreign aircraft in 2025 as these aircraft require major repairs.

In August, the Kyiv Post reported that some airlines were now rationing fuel as Moscow's already struggling commercial airlines lurched from one crisis to the next.

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Pilots of one of the Aeroflot Group's low-cost airlines, Pobeda Airlines, complain that their management has initiated a potentially dangerous fuel procedure.

The fliers say their planes are fueled to levels dangerously close to the minimum levels required for a given trip, and in some cases even lower.

Some have officially reported their concerns to the “relevant authorities” and described the airline’s actions as “criminal.” They have explained that this is done for economic reasons and reduces the margin of safety, which is already unreasonably compromised by factors such as inadequate maintenance schedules.

While the pilots did not mention the impact of the Ukrainian attacks on Russian fuel depots, they said these decisions were the result of recent price increases and limited availability of some jet fuels. According to SPIMEX, the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, Russian aviation fuel prices have risen 30% since March 2022.

A pilot is quoted as saying that fuel calculations would be made based on the shortest route between airports, not taking into account variations due to bad weather or airport crowding during peak hours.

In February, the Wall Street Journal, citing German research firm Jacdec, reported that Russian airlines experienced 74 in-flight emergencies in 2023 – more than double the 36 incidents in 2022. The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency recorded more than 400 cases of equipment failures involving engines, landing gear, flaps, aircraft software and hydraulic systems before flights.