The global supply chain disruption has seen aircraft manufacturers slow down production lines a few months ago, given the shortage of aircraft parts like engines. However, the situation seems unhinged in Russia, as the shortages paired with economic sanctions have resulted in a Russian airline having to soon receive a brand-new aircraft equipped with second-hand engines.
Waitlisted for several months
Russian carrier Azimuth Airlines was supposed to receive a singular Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) earlier this year, which would have been the 17th aircraft in its fleet. Unfortunately, the delivery was delayed due to global conflicts and international economic sanctions on Russia, as the aircraft could not completely roll off the production line when missing a few crucial parts.
The regional aircraft uses the SaM146 turbofan engine produced by PowerJet, a joint-venture company between French aerospace manufacturer Snecma and Russian engine developer NPO Saturn. Without support from Snecma due to the sanctions, Russian aircraft manufacturer United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has been trying to find a locally produced replacement.
Resorting to some hand-me-downs
And the search had been somewhat fruitful, but UAC was running out of time to get locally produced engines so soon, especially given the pending number of new SSJ100s wanting to roll off production lines. Then came the idea of using second-hand, used engines so that the aircraft could be delivered timely to Azimuth Airlines before the end of this year.
The used engines for the aircraft were sourced from an aircraft component pool created in 2019 with about 17 engines and are allegedly in excellent condition, albeit the Russian Transportation Agency is still drawing up the airworthiness documentation for the aircraft using used engines. The UAC emphasized:
“The engines installed on the Azimuth plane are in excellent condition, and the use of second-hand engines will not have an impact on the airline’s operations or flight safety. They are reliable.”
Should the delivery to Azimuth Airlines go accordingly, it will be the first time in the history of Russian domestic aviation that a new aircraft is being delivered with used engines. But it will likely not be the last time, as it has been planned that more newly manufactured SSJ100s, more than 10 of them, will be fitted with used engines and expected to be delivered to other Russian carriers, such as Red Wings Airlines, within the next month and the first half of next year.
Local replacements are not yet certified
But what about the relatively fruitful search that UAC conducted for local replacements? The Russian aircraft manufacturer has been looking into the PD-8 high-bypass turbofan engine, which was based on the larger PD-14 variant developed by the UAC’s subsidiary, the United Engine Corporation (UEC). However, the use of the PD-8 engines on the SSJ100s has not yet been certified by the Russian Transportation Agency.
The UAC expects certification and approval to complete sometime next year and for deliveries of the SSJ100s fitted with PD-8 engines to start in 2024. And by 2030, the manufacturer aims to have at least 314 new PD-8 engines built in Russia, of which at least 284 will be installed on approximately 142 SSJ aircraft produced within the same period. The remaining engines built will be saved as spare parts.
Source: Aerotime Hub