The number of incidents involving Russian aircraft reached a record in 2024.

Aviation incidents involving passenger aircraft of Russian airlines in 2024 have exceeded last year's figures, reaching the lowest level in the last six years. This is reported by 'Novaya Gazeta Europe'.

As of the end of November, 208 incidents have been recorded, which is 30% more than the 161 incidents last year.

Of these incidents, at least 90 times aircraft returned to the airport or made emergency landings due to technical problems detected during flight. Only cases where the aircraft was officially ready for flight and passengers were on board are included in the statistics. Issues identified during pre-flight preparation are not counted.

The largest increase in accident rate was recorded for Superjet 100 aircraft. In 2024, 56 incidents occurred with these airplanes, which is exactly the same number of incidents involving Boeing aircraft, of which there are almost twice as many in the fleets of Russian airlines (188 vs. 93 according to Rosaviation).

The most common malfunctions are engine problems (30%) and landing gear issues (20%). Failures in hydraulic systems, brakes, and navigation equipment are also frequently recorded. Some aircraft become involved in incidents repeatedly over a short period of Time.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian aviation has faced sanctions. Many countries closed their airspace to Russian carriers, and producers Boeing and Airbus ceased to supply spare parts and technical support. This forced airlines to use spare parts from old aircraft and continue their operation beyond the regulatory lifespan.

Russia received a 'red flag' from the International Civil Aviation Organization, indicating a low level of flight safety. Besides Russia, this status is held by only three countries: Bhutan, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to experts' forecasts, by 2026 the Russian fleet could shrink by more than half.

It is recalled that at Antalya airport, after landing a Sukhoi Superjet 100 belonging to the Russian airline 'Azimuth', a fire occurred in the engine. This happened for the same reason as the previous incident with this type of aircraft at 'Sheremetyevo' airport in 2019, when 41 people died.

A similar incident occurred with a Superjet at Yakutsk airport when the landing gear pierced the fuel tank due to unevenness on the runway but thanks to the low speed of the aircraft, a fire was prevented. At the same time, the issue with the landing gear was already known but was not rectified.

It was previously reported that the largest private airline in Russia, S7 Airlines, is reducing the number of crews and office staff in Moscow due to engine problems with some aircraft.