MSGID: 2:292/854 1f361e0c   
   REPLY: 2:292/854 1c15485f   
   TZUTC: 0100                     
   FYI, Ural Airlines are the ones who successfully landed a commercial airliner   
   in a wheat field pretty much intact.   
       
   After attempts to let it take-off again from an improvised runway were   
   unfeasable as well as removing the wings and truck it in parts to a facility   
   to re-assemble it, it was being canibalised in-situ for spare parts ... much   
   of the airframe still sits where it came to a stop ... much to the joy of the   
   farmer who is making money without having to plant anything.   
       
    \%/@rd   
       
   AH> Sans Airbus support, Russian Ural Airlines aims an inhouse Program to   
   AH> Extend Airbus A320 Lifespan beyond 96,000 flight hours.   
       
   AH> Russia's Ural Airlines said it will launch what it described as a   
   AH> first-of-its-kind domestic program to extend the service life of Airbus   
   AH> A320 family aircraft beyond 96,000 flight hours, as the country’s   
   AH> aviation sector grapples with Western sanctions and a shortage of spare   
   AH> parts.   
       
   AH> The carrier said work would be carried out at its own maintenance   
   AH> facility and would include full disassembly, inspection, airframe repairs   
   AH> and final reassembly beginning in autumn 2026.   
       
   AH> The airline said no comparable comprehensive program exists in Russia. It   
   AH> called the initiative a “logical continuation” of its engineering   
   AH> development and "a major step forward for the domestic aviation   
   AH> industry."   
       
   AH> Ural Airlines added that it is also designing workshops to repair fuel,   
   AH> hydraulic and pneumatic systems.   
       
   AH> "In parallel, the design of new workshops for in-depth repairs of fuel,   
   AH> hydraulic, and pneumatic system components is underway, laying the   
   AH> foundation for a full technical cycle. Starting this fall, the practical   
   AH> phase of the project will begin. Specialists will proceed to large-scale   
   AH> work: from complete disassembly and diagnostics of the airframe to its   
   AH> repair and final assembly," the company explained.   
       
   AH> The Airbus A320 is a family of narrow-body passenger airliners for short-   
   AH> and medium-haul routes. Initially, the design lifespan of the A320 family   
   AH> was about 60,000 flight hours, but as the fleet aged, Airbus developed   
   AH> the Extended Service Goal program, which allows aircraft to be operated   
   AH> up to 120,000 flight hours with additional work.   
       
   AH> Russian civil aviation is facing serious challenges due to Western   
   AH> sanctions imposed after the start of the war in Ukraine. Due to the ban   
   AH> on supplying new aircraft and spare parts from Boeing and Airbus, the   
   AH> number of available airframes is shrinking: Russian airlines are   
   AH> disassembling planes to use their parts to keep other airliners flying.   
       
       
   AH> Industry specialists have raised safety concerns over the scheme. Ural   
   AH> Airlines' announcement means the airline intends to extend aircraft   
   AH> lifespans in ncertified centers. This further distances such aircraft   
   AH> from international practices for complying with flight safety standards.   
       
   AH> In September 2025, Russia had appealed to the International Civil   
   AH> Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ease the sanctions. The appeal detailed,   
   AH> Russian airlines are forced to import parts for more than 700 aircraft,   
   AH> mostly Boeing and Airbus, through complex schemes. In Moscow, they   
   AH> emphasized that these components are critical for the safety of civilian   
   AH> flights and called the sanctions themselves "unlawful coercive measures."   
       
   AH> Replacing Airbus and Boeing aircraft with Russian made is not working   
   AH> out. Of the 15 commercial aircraft that Russian aircraft factories were   
   AH> supposed to deliver in 2025, only one was handed over. The plan fell   
   AH> through due to sanctions that deprived manufacturers of foreign   
   AH> components and technologies.   
       
   AH> The Ural Airlines fleet consists of 51 aircraft from this family, A321,   
   AH> A320, A319, A320neo, and A321neo. And in its report for the first half of   
   AH> 2025, the airline noted a 7% decline in passenger traffic compared to the   
   AH> previous year due to "difficulties the company faced in maintaining   
   AH> airworthiness for the new-generation Airbus neo aircraft."   
       
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