According to Marat Tereshchenko, advisor to Aeroflot's technical director, Russian airlines, including Aeroflot, are asking Rosaviation and Rostransnadzor to allow foreign planes (Boeings and Airbuses) to be serviced at extended intervals because of sanctions, Izvestia reports.
“Two procedures need to be implemented. The first is a process of exempting operators from the requirements of the industry standards, whenever their full implementation in a given format is impossible. For example, this is a procedure for exceptional extensions of maintenance intervals. And the second is a procedure for alternative methods of determining compliance with airworthiness directives,” Tereshchenko said.
Tereshchenko claimed he meant one-off deviations from the requirements rather than regular practice. Also, airlines will have to produce evidence that such maintenance delays won’t impact safety.
In addition, he pointed out that, according to documentation supplied by foreign aircraft manufacturers, the operator has the right to manage the maintenance intervals on its own.
Since the middle of last year, the number of serious accidents in Russian aviation has been increasing rapidly. According to experts, the main reason is Russia's complete unpreparedness for the sanctions and the lack of quality control of parts, which are now being bought from “friendly countries” without the necessary certification.