Flight International - January 13, 2015

AIR TRANSPORT

14 | Flight International | 13-19 January 2015 flightglobal.com

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R

ussian carrier Transaero is
looking at a possible deferral
of planned aircraft deliveries as
part of a series of measures to
balance capacity.
The airline states it is “consid-
ering the issue of postponing
some of the delivery terms” of
jets due to arrive in 2015. It has
not indicated which specific
types are being examined, but it
had been intending to take air-
craft including its first Airbus
A380s, as well as A321s and
Sukhoi Superjets, this year.
They are part of a broad fleet-
renewal programme which also
includes acquisitions of Boeing
747-8s and A320neos.
Transaero says it will undertake
measures to “optimise” its pas-
senger capacity over the first three
months of 2015, which it says is
“excessive” for the low season.

ORDERS DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW & MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON

Troubled Transaero looks at deferrals

Moscow-based airline to re-examine its fleet plan and capacity as its Irish MRO subsidiary enters bankruptcy protection

R

ussian researchers have
commenced testing on the
initial wing-box for Irkut’s
MC-21-300 twinjet.
The work is being carried out
by Moscow’s Central Aerohydro-
dynamics Institute.
It says that the tests will
comprise three phases. The first
will examine the operational
strength of the structure by
simulating real flight conditions.
The structure will then be
transferred to a facility in
Turayevo which will carry out
simulations to assess the effect of
bird strikes.
It will be returned to the insti-
tute for the third phase, involving
testing of residual strength.
Irkut expects to begin test
flights of the MC-21 – set to be
redesignated as the Yak-242 – in
the first half of 2016. ■

DEVELOPMENT
DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Wing-box for

MC-21 enters

testing phase

The airline has received assistance from the Russian government

Rex Features

The airline, which was pre-

dicting passenger numbers to rise

by nearly 5% to 13.1 million for

the full year 2014, has also se-

cured financial assistance from

the Russian government.

Meanwhile, Irish-based

maintenance provider Transaero

Engineering Ireland (TEI) has en-

tered bankruptcy protection as a

result of its Russian parent carri-

er’s financial difficulties.

Ireland’s High Court has ap-

pointed Michael McAteer of Grant

Thornton as “interim examiner”

to develop a restructuring plan,

after the MRO specialist made a

request for protection on 5 Janu-

ary. It continues to trade normally.

Moscow-based Transaero

Airlines cannot “pay TEI moneys

due for services rendered [or] sup-

port TEI on an ongoing basis”, the

MRO provider says.

The airline is beset by what

TEI terms “serious financial diffi-

culties” arising from US and EU

trade sanctions against Russia, as

well as declines in the rouble’s

value and the price of oil. “Ini-

tial” contact has been made with

a potential financier to “put the

company onto a solid footing”,

the subsidiary says.

TEI employs a staff of around

230 people and specialises in air-

frame maintenance for 737s, 757s

and 767s. Formerly named Air

Atlanta Aero Engineering, it was

acquired by Transaero in 2012. ■

S

udanese officials are to de-

clare a formal objection to

political sanctions at an upcom-

ing ICAO safety conference,

claiming that they have a detri-

mental effect on aviation safety.

The country has been subject

to US government sanctions

since 1997, which have impacted

flag-carrier Sudan Airways.

Sudan is also covered by a

blanket airline blacklisting by the

European Commission.

In a presentation prepared for

the ICAO high-level safety confer-

ence in February, the Sudanese

delegation argues that imposing

sanctions on aviation-related

equipment constitutes a “signifi-

cant risk” to air navigation opera-

tions – a sector which, it says, is

“not the primary target”.

“The negative impact of sanc-

tions to the safety and well-being

of aviation activities throughout

the world outweighs whatever

objectives the sanctions are ex-

pected to achieve,” it adds.

Sudan appeals to ICAO over sanctions

SAFETY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

US and European supply restrictions have affected Sudan Airways

AirTeamImages

Resolutions passed under the

ICAO umbrella, it says, have “not

borne positive results” and the

risk to international aircraft oper-

ations “remains uninhibited”.

Manufacture of aircraft and air

traffic control systems is a multi-

national process, it says, and the

Sudanese delegation is to recom-

mend that the ICAO Council

pursues measures to “convince”

countries imposing sanctions to

make necessary exceptions.

Meanwhile, European authori-

ties have issued warnings about

security in South Sudan airspace

as a result of armed conflict in the

newly-independent state. Clash-

es between government and rebel

forces are posing a risk to flight

operations, notably from rocket-

propelled grenades and shoulder-

launched missiles, says EASA.

In a safety bulletin it is recom-

mending that all aircraft opera-

tors “exercise extreme caution” if

planning to fly into, or over, the

region.

Its advisory is one of several

recently issued to highlight the

potential risk of overflying re-

gions of conflict, also including

Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, the

Sinai Peninsula and Syria. ■