Rising wages linked to the war in Ukraine are pushing many Russians to go tourism. Good news… theoretical, for the country's aviation sector, faced with another consequence of the conflict against kyiv: Western sanctions which prevent Moscow from obtaining vital spare parts to maintain its planes built in Europe and the UNITED STATES.
An increase in purchasing power beneficial for tourism
Despite the severity of Western sanctions, the Russian war effort supports the country's economic growth as well as the purchasing power of some citizens. Faced with the refusal of those in power to launch a new mobilization, the armed forces only attract volunteers to their ranks at the cost of enormous expenditure devoted to salaries and bonuses included in the contracts of new recruits.
Positions linked to the booming arms industry have also been much better paid since the start of the conflict, leading to a consumption boom fueling several sectors, including civil aviation. Russians are also turning more and more towards destinations such as Turkey, other countries of the former USSR, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Thailand, while air traffic to the The European Union has collapsed.
However, a major problem faces the aviation sector: Russia does not have a sufficient number of planes. Western sanctions have not only hit industries directly linked to arms, but a range of strategic sectors, while cutting off Moscow from vital imports.
Two thirds of the civil air fleet manufactured by Boeing and Airbus
The Russian aviation sector was before the large-scale invasion of Ukraine largely dependent on Western-built aircraft, which could not be replaced by domestic production.
Few new planes are therefore joining the country's air fleet, which is already reduced to nothing due to the impossibility of importing American or European spare parts. According to Russian media Kommersant, 34 of the 66 Airbus A320neos used by the country's airlines are currently grounded due to engine problems.
According to data from the Swiss aviation sector information site ch-aviation consulted by Reuters, nearly 80% of civil aircraft used in Russia were built abroad. Boeing and Airbus models account for 575 of the 865 aircraft used by the country's airline fleet.
The “crisis” is so serious that Moscow has reportedly asked several Central Asian countries for help to ensure traffic on certain domestic lines; the Economic Times of India cited by Reuters indicates that a similar request was made to Beijing and New Delhi. Russia also smuggles parts needed for its aircraft in the luggage of certain passengers, we recently reported.
