Russian airlines may have to ground homegrown Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft
Carriers are becoming worried about potential repair issues. Russia’s aviation market is proud of its homegrown Sukhoi Superjet 100. However, the country’s airlines may soon have to ground the type due to a critical factor laying at the hands of French entities.
Airline anxieties
IrAero General Director Yuri Lapin warned Igor Kobzev, Governor of the Irkutsk Region that airlines flying the SSJ100 “won’t be able to ensure the repair and mechanical suitability” of the PowerJet SaM146 engines. Russian media outfit RBC shares that the director’s concerns relate to sanctions in place by the United States and European Union.
Notably, the SaM146 turbofan engine was introduced following a joint venture between what is now Safran, a French aerospace powerhouse, and Russia’s NPO Saturn. It is a development from the CFM International CFM56.
Safran is responsible for the overall design and certification of all versions of the SaM146. The company also notes that it oversees “the development and production of the engine core, control systems and power transmission, system integration and flight testing.”
A regional figure
Incidentally, this month marks 11 years since the SSJ100 entered service with Armavia. Across the industry, the plane has the capacity for 87 passengers in a typical two-class configuration. However, in a single-class setting, the capacity rises to 108. The standard variant has a range of 3,048 km (1,645 NM), while the long-range variant has a range of 4,578 km (2,470 NM).
Today, Aeroflot, along with its subsidiary Rossiya are prominent holders of the type. Other regional outfits such as Azimuth, Red Wings Airlines, Yamal Airlines, Seversal Aircompany, Yakutia Airines, Gazpromavia, and Comlux KZ.
IrAero holds two SSJ100s and five SSJ100LRs. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that it’s keen to address any operational issues. After all, the plane dominates the fleet. Other than the SSJ, the airline holds a CRJ100LR and an A319, and the latter is also grounded.
Market updates
Sanction-compliant Airbus and Boeing aircraft already dominate several Russian fleets. Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s aviation industry was already keen to overhaul its domestic operations with homegrown aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-114-300 and Irkut MC-21. A new version of the SSJ100 has already been touted, powered by Russian PD-8 engines. Earlier this year, this core engine completed first-stage certification testing.
Rostec, the conglomerate behind Sukhoi, has denied prospects of a possible suspension of SSJ100 services. It told Russian news agency TASS that it is doing everything it can for carriers to continue operating the plane without interruption.
Altogether, in the current climate, Russia’s aviation scene will be keen to catalyze developments to become more self-sufficient. Airlines and manufacturers will be keeping a close eye on conditions in the coming months.
Simple Flying reached out to Rostec for further comment. We will update the article with any announcements. simpleflying.com