Shortage of Pilots, Parts, Planes, Fuel Could Kill (Literally) Russian Aviation

The Russian commercial aviation issues Telegram channel “Авиаторщина (Aviatorism)” reports that pilots from one of the low-cost airlines from the Aeroflot group, Pobeda Airlines, are complaining their management have instituted a potentially dangerous fuel procedure.

The aviators say that their aircraft are being refueled to levels that are dangerously close to, in some cases below, the minimum levels, necessary for a particular journey.

Some have made their concerns known formally to the “competent authorities,” calling the actions of the airline “criminal.” In their view this behavior, which seems to be done for economic reasons reduces the margin of safety, which is already compromised to an unacceptable degree by factors such as inadequate maintenance schedules.

While avoiding mention of the effect of Ukrainian strikes against Russian fuel depots the pilots say these decisions are as a result of recent price rises and restricted availability of some aviation fuel. According to SPIMEX, the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, Russian aviation fuel prices have increased by 30 percent since March 2022.

One pilot is cited as saying fuel calculations are being made based on the shortest route between airports, making no allowance for any deviation for bad weather or over airport stacking during busy times.

He says that on numerous occasions when entering the standard approach path to an airport into the aircraft’s computer it tells him he has insufficient fuel. He also says that after refueling and prior to take off the aircraft control systems give warnings of a fuel shortage for an intended journey and advise the use of alternate destinations.

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Another pilot is quoted as saying that aircraft crews are reluctant to request additional fuel because if they do, they are taken to task by management which on top of everything else is placing pilots and crew under unbearable stress.

“Everything else” includes the increasing level of “in-flight” emergencies being suffered by Russian airlines as a result of the impact of Western sanctions on the availability of spare parts and maintenance of aircraft, much of which relied on foreign expertise to carry it out, and lack of personnel.

In February the Wall Street Journal, citing the German research company Jacdec reported that Russian airlines had suffered 74 in flight emergencies in 2023 more than double the 36 events reported in 2022. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, recorded more than 400 instances of equipment failure involving engines, landing gear, flaps, aircraft software and hydraulic systems prior to flights.

The Moscow Times, citing Russia’s Air Incident channel reported that the trend in failures had continued into 2024, with more than 20 serious air incidents including six instances of in-flight engine failure in the first three months of the year.

The pressure not only on pilots but also cabin crew and ground crew members has been made even worse, since the 2021 COVID pandemic and the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, by the number of Russian airline staff that have voted with their feet.

According to a RFE/RL report this has particularly affected experienced pilots and cabin crew who can earn twice their Russian salary and have better (and safer) working conditions working with Middle east airlines and even carriers in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Vietnam and elsewhere are more attractive than in their own country.

Another concern is that the reducing size and reliability of the existing fleets are now being flown by newly trained pilots who lack the experience to deal with the growing types and numbers of in-flight problems.

Another growing issue is aircraft availability. The combination of lack of spares for Russia’s Western aircraft, mainly Boeing and Airbus, because of sanctions and the failure of its industry to produce the promised domestic replacements is further eroding airlines’ ability to meet demand.

At the start of the summer vacation season there was a 20 percent increase in flight cancellations due to lack of serviceable aircraft compared with the previous year.

Each month seems to bring yet another issue to challenge Russia’s commercial airlines with thoughts of phrases involving straws and camels’ backs springing to mind as Moscow’s aviation industry increasingly faces a perfect storm.