Ural Airlines To Part Out A320 Stuck in Siberian Wheat Field

Ural Airlines has decided to part out an Airbus A320 that has remained stranded in a Siberian wheat field since an emergency landing on September 12, 2023. The aircraft, with 167 passengers on board, was forced to make an unscheduled landing near Novosibirsk after experiencing a failure in its green hydraulics system. Despite initial plans to fly the aircraft out of the field, logistical challenges have led the airline to opt for dismantling it instead.

“All decisions have been made. We will receive the insurance payout and have been granted the rights to dismantle the aircraft for parts,” Ural Airlines’ retiring founder and CEO Sergey Skuratov announced on August 8. The part-out process is expected to begin within two weeks and be completed by next spring.

With international sanctions limiting access to new parts, Ural Airlines plans to use the salvaged components to keep other A320s in its fleet operational. The airline’s fleet currently consists of 51 aircraft, including four A319s, 22 A320s, three A320neos, 14 A321s, and eight A321neos. However, two of these aircraft have already been grounded due to components reaching the end of their lifespan.

Despite these challenges, Skuratov expressed optimism about maintaining passenger traffic at 2023 levels, when the airline carried 9.4 million passengers. “As of today, we are up 7% compared with 2023, but the second half of the year is still ahead,” he noted.

Ural Airlines continues to operate a domestic network and serves international destinations in China, Dubai, Turkey, and various Central Asian countries. However, further expansion is not feasible due to the lack of available aircraft and ongoing issues with engines, spare parts, and other components resulting from international sanctions.

The announcement coincides with Skuratov’s retirement after leading Ural Airlines since its inception in 1993. On the same day, his son Kirill Skuratov, who has served as the airline’s deputy CEO and commercial director for the past decade, was appointed as the new CEO.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, aviationweek.com