FRANKFURT—The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has outlined the details of how it is implementing EU sanctions against Russia and decided, among other things, to suspend certificates of airworthiness and put on hold all pending certification applications.
The suspension of certificates includes those for parts, appliances, organizations and flight simulators, which will particularly affect a large number of MRO providers in Russia. The decision was published in a formal notice to stakeholders.
EASA says it decided to move ahead after the EU had prohibited the provision of “technical assistance or other services related to the goods and technology suited for use in aviation and the space industry.”
The ban includes goods and services “whether or not originating in the [EU], and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of those goods and technology, directly or indirectly, to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Russia or for use in Russia.”
A total of six type certificates for in-service aircraft are suspended, notably for the Beriev Be-200, Tupolev Tu-204-120 and Sukhoi Superjet 100-95. With no valid approvals, these aircraft cannot be operated in the EU. Flights from Russia are banned as part of the broader trade sanctions; therefore, the additional impact is limited.
According to the Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery database, one Superjet 100 owned by Superjet International is registered and in service in Italy. No Beriev Be-200s nor any Tupolev aircraft are based in Europe.
More painful for the Russian industry is the decision to put on hold any future applications. For any material sales prospects of Russia’s new narrowbody, the MC-21, outside of its home market, EASA certification is a key prerequisite that now looks out of sight for the foreseeable future.
The MC-21-300 was certified in Russia at the end of 2021. Further certification work, to include Russian composite materials used for the wing, is expected to be concluded later in 2022. United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which has developed the airliner, is also aiming to get domestic approvals for the Aviadvigatel PD-14-powered version of the aircraft, the MC-21-310, before the end of 2022.
EASA certified the Superjet 100 in 2012. Sukhoi is working on a new Russianized version that is aimed to be ready in 2023. Any (unlikely) application for European certification of the latest model would also fall under the suspension.
Production organization approvals have been withdrawn from Aviaintercom, Engineering and Production Company Aerostyling, S7 Engineering, UEC Saturn and Vemina Aviaprestige.
Meanwhile, organization approvals in maintenance affect a total of 39 companies. This number includes many of the maintenance affiliates of large Russian airlines like Aeroflot, Aurora, Rossiya Airlines, S7 Engineering, Ural Airlines and Volga-Dnepr Technics.
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