Russia orders inspections of 51 regional airlines after fatal crashes and accidents double
October 10, 2025
As accidents rise in Russia from ageing and poorly maintained regional aircraft, Russia is set to increase its inspections to help ensure flightworthiness.
Russia to increase inspections for regional airlines
According to news outlet, Izvestia, Russia will launch thorough inspections of 51 regional airlines and their aircraft. This comes as the number of aviation accidents in Russia has doubled from eight in 2023 to 17 in 2024, while fatalities increased from 12 to 37.
Airlines to have increased inspections include Azimuth, Aurora, Alrosa, Angara, and Izhavia. The publication noted there have been four commercial aviation accidents in 2025 alone.
In July 2025, an Angara Antonov An-24 regional aircraft crashed in Russia’s Far East near Tynda. The old aircraft was in a poor state of maintenance and claimed the lives of all on board.
Russian An-24 with 49 people on board crashed near the town of Tynda. There are no survivors on board. https://t.co/4Q0plzzwuT pic.twitter.com/sdU4nITZEj
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 24, 2025
The inspections will take place from 1st December 2025 to 1st December 2026 and will cover aircraft maintenance, training, flight safety, and airworthiness.
Impact of sanctions on Russian aviation
Aviation is one sector where Russia is considered the most vulnerable to international sanctions. It is cut off from the international market and so is unable to purchase new aircraft and spares. This includes parts for Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, COMAC, and ATR aircraft, as all of these aircraft are full of Western components and are exclusively powered by Western engines.
Russia is forced to resort to the black market to find spares to keep its existing components operating. It is extremely difficult for Russia to maintain its newest aircraft, like its A321neos and their Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines. Most of these aircraft are now grounded.
Instead, Russia has been forced to reactivate older, previously retired Boeing 747s for domestic routes. Older aircraft are simpler to maintain, and parts are more available on the black market.
Russia racing to produce domestic aircraft
In 2022, as sanctions hit, Russia announced it would domestically produce 1,000 aircraft of all types by 2030. As of October 2025, none have been delivered. This is made worse by the Russian civil aviation industry competing with the military for limited resources amid the war in Ukraine.
Western components are vital for Russia to produce modern aircraft. According to the BBC, the realities of the sanctions are forcing Russia to look to put older, obsolete versions of Soviet-era aircraft into production, and not the variants upgraded with Western components.
The inability to produce new aircraft and the inability to purchase new Western aircraft or maintain some of their existing Western aircraft are forcing Russia to continue relying on ageing Soviet aircraft. Some of which haven’t been in production for 50 years.
Regional aviation is forced to use older An-2 and An-24 aircraft and Soviet-era Mi-8 helicopters. Parts are lacking for long-discontinued Soviet aircraft, requiring repairs to be carried out with parts from old warehouses or mothballed aircraft.
Some of the aircraft were produced in the Ukrainian SSR, but Russia is no longer able to source parts from Ukraine.
According to Izvestia, another contributing factor is the pilots. Young people are not interested in flying 50-year-old, dangerous, legacy Soviet aircraft, while existing experienced pilots are ageing out and retiring from the industry.
