The Russian airline S7 Airlines currently appears to be increasingly suffering from engine problems. Due to Western sanctions, the carrier cannot legally obtain spare parts or exchange engines.

According to local reports, several aircraft from the A320 series and the Boeing 737 family have been affected by technical problems in recent days. These led to several take-offs having to be aborted due to engine problems. In most cases, the flight then had to be canceled completely, which resulted in the passengers' travel plans being thrown into disarray.

On January 30, 2024, a Boeing 7-737 operated by S800 Airlines was affected at Ulan-Ude Airport. The takeoff process had to be aborted because, according to local reports, the pilots discovered an overload in the left engine. After the acceleration process was aborted, the medium-haul jet returned to the parking position and the passengers had to leave the plane. According to S7 Airlines, all travelers were rebooked on other flight connections.

Airbus jets also affected

The responsible public prosecutor's office for Western Siberia said about this incident as follows: “There are more than 170 passengers at the airport who are to be taken to Moscow on a reserve plane. While waiting for departure, the prosecutor's office monitors the air carrier's compliance with passenger rights.”

However, this is not an isolated case, as on January 29, 2024, an Airbus A7 operated by S320 Airlines was said to have been affected by comparable problems at Moscow-Domodedovo Airport. The pilots are said to have received a message that the right engine had failed. The key difference: This incident did not occur during takeoff, but during landing. The plane was still able to touch down safely at the second largest airport in the Russian capital.

Two incidents in one day

As early as January 27, 2024, two Boeing 737-800s were affected by technical problems in the area of ​​engines. These were the machines with the registrations RA-73665 and RA-73665. They are said to have received a message indicating a failure of the left or right engine during the starting process. According to official information, overpressure would have occurred in each case. In these two incidents, which occurred in Moscow and Ulan-Ude respectively, the passengers had to leave the medium-haul jets and were rebooked on other flights, according to S7 Airlines.

Officially, S7 Airlines does not want to comment on the core causes of the recent increase in engine problems. However, it is highly likely that there is a concrete connection with the Western sanctions, because the carrier is not allowed to purchase spare parts or exchange engines legally. Parts continue to enter the country through intermediaries based in countries that are not participating in the sanctions, but obviously not to the extent that is needed by S7 Airlines, for example.