Aeroflot to Build Jet Engine Repair Plant in 2028 as Sanctions Spark Concerns

Russia’s flagship airline, Aeroflot, has created a new company that will build a jet engine repair facility in 2028, its CEO said, as Western sanctions have caused concerns about a growing number of malfunctions in the three years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At full capacity, the plant should be able to perform up to 70 major engine repairs per year, serving different engine models, Aeroflot CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky said in an interview excerpt published by the Kommersant business newspaper Wednesday.

The facility will reportedly perform maintenance, repair and overhaul services for the French-American CFM engine and the Russian-made PD-8 and PD-14 engines.

Few other details were reported about the plant, including its cost and location.

Much of Aeroflot’s fleet has been affected by the U.S. and EU ban on the supply of aircraft and aircraft components to Russia. 

Unresolved engine issues have forced Russian airlines to ground half of their Airbus A320neo family aircraft, Kommersant reported last fall. 

Eleven engine failures were reported over a 50-day span in December-January alone, with five incidents in October-November. 

Moscow has asked Washington to lift sanctions against Aeroflot to resume direct flights with the United States after Donald Trump’s return to the White House this year.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia also called for the removal of sanctions on Russia’s aviation sector as a “humanitarian necessity” following reports that the U.S. was drafting a list for potential sanctions relief.

Aeroflot was cut off from many of its most profitable routes after Western countries closed their airspace to Russian aircraft in retaliation for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.