Discontinued Russian aircraft parts selling off in Mexico
Photo: Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft
In Mexico, spare parts of Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft are being sold off as the airline Interjet operating them has gone bankrupt.
The aircraft cannot be repaired, but they are attempting to sell engine components and landing gear through auctions, according to currenttime.tv.
In 2016, the Mexican airline owned 22 Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes and planned to increase the fleet to 30. However, the carrier decided to eliminate all the Superjets by 2019 due to maintenance and engine issues.
In 2020, the company filed for bankruptcy, and its assets are currently being liquidated. Parts of the SS100 engines and landing gear are being auctioned off. The aircraft, which have not been operating for a long time, cannot be restored to airworthiness.
Returning the planes to Russia is impossible due to sanctions, although Russian airlines desperately need spare parts for the Superjets. There are approximately a hundred Superjets in the fleets of Russian airlines.
"The Sukhoi Superjet 100 was initially built as an international aircraft. The engine was exclusively developed for this aircraft by French and Russian companies. This international collaboration put the Superjet in challenging circumstances. And further on, the aircraft caused problems for its operators," said aviation columnist Anastasiya Dagaeva.
The aircraft was created a quarter of a century ago to showcase Russia as a progressive and technologically advanced country. After the imposition of sanctions and the absence of cooperation with the French company, only used engines were installed in the Sukhoi Superjet 100.
According to the expert, it is impossible to create an aircraft solely by the efforts of one country. Statements about creating a "100% Russian aircraft" do not correspond to reality.
"No country, including the United States and several European countries that manufacture Airbus, has a complete range of components for aircraft production, from bolts to anything else. All aircraft worldwide are still made through international cooperation," noted Anastasiya Dagaeva.
She explains that the Russian aviation industry has found bypass routes and schemes allowing them to supply components. However, leasing companies and other external international airlines will no longer take them.
The failures in navigation systems have begun to occur in Russian aircraft. In 2022, Russian planes performed thousands of flights with worn-out spare parts.
