According to data from the German Jagtech database, in 2023, 74 aviation safety incidents were recorded in Russia, compared to 36 a year earlier. An analysis of data by the Wall Street Journal shows that the average frequency of such incidents has increased to 4.5 per 100 thousand. Flights at 9.9.
Unintended effect of economic sanctions on Russia
According to the newspaper, this was the result of sanctions imposed on the Russian aviation industry, which deprived Russian airlines of access to services, spare parts and software updates from Western aircraft manufacturers.
Although not all accidents are directly related to sanctions – the database includes, for example, the downed plane of Yevgeny Prigozh, the former head of the Wagner Group – – according to experts cited by “WSJ”, a significant number are the result. Restrictions.
These include engines catching fire or otherwise failing during flight, tires bursting during landing, or flap failures that cause the aircraft to veer off course. One such incident occurred in September last year when a hydraulic system malfunctioned on a Ural Airlines Airbus A320 during flight. As a result, the plane made an emergency landing in a field in southern Russia, where it remains a field to this day.
“If you don't have access to parts, there's not much you can do about it,” Henry Gordji, director of industry group the Flight Safety Foundation, told the newspaper. “They (the Russians) are doing what they can, but it's starting to have serious consequences,” he added.
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