Russian airline Aeroflot plans to resume international flight operations shortly using the Sukhoi SSJ-100 aircraft operated by subsidiary Rossiya Airlines. A kind of mini-hub is being set up in Sochi for this purpose.

Russian airlines no longer dare to fly abroad with aircraft from Western lessors because the owners are reclaiming them due to sanctions. However, the Russian government has enacted a law that has made it possible to register in the aviation register of the Russian Federation. To put it simply: Russia does not even think about returning the aircraft, which is why the lessors speak of theft. You can't get spare parts either. Some owners fear - not entirely unjustified - that some aircraft are threatened with cannibalization for the purpose of obtaining spare parts. This would finally devalue them.

Outside of Belarus and the Russian Federation, this "theft" is not recognized. In concrete terms, this means that the rightful owners could have their aircraft secured and enforced. In other words, the Russian airlines would be threatened with impoundment, and they want to prevent that by no longer leaving Belarus and Russia.

Internationally, however, Aeroflot wants to make a small comeback with the Sukhoi Superjet SSJ-100 machine type. The regional jets operated by Rossiya Airlines are owned by Russian leasing companies. However, Western technology is also installed in these aircraft, so that the sanctions could also be felt here.

Aeroflot has opened tickets for direct scheduled flights from Sochi to Armenia, Egypt, Israel, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The flight program is aimed at transit traffic and is aimed at travelers flying from the base airports of the Aeroflot Group in Moscow (Sheremetyevo), Saint Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk via Sochi. Rossiya Airlines operates flights from Sochi to 17 destinations using Russian-made Superjet 100 aircraft. Up to ten aircraft of this type will be based in Sochi to carry out the flight program. Aeroflot itself still has nine SSJ-100s in its fleet. The daughter Rossiya has 68 pieces.

However, the planes that Aeroflot Group intends to send on these flights are affected by the sanctions - not just the airline. It is worth noting that Armenia, Egypt, Israel, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan all have working arrangements with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In the case of Armenia and Turkey, both countries are EASA pan-European partners that work with EASA to implement aviation safety regulations.

Planned SSJ-100 routes from Sochi: