S7 Airlines has been unable to acquire the MC-21-300 narrowbody aircraft as they have been pre-ordered by Aeroflot.
The new PD-14 turbofan engines for MC-21 have a short service life of 3,600 flight hours, leading to more downtime for maintenance compared to other engines.
The chairman of 7 Group Evgeny Elin told the Russian Industrialist Forum in St Petersburg that the engines will have only 3,600 flight hours between overhauls, in contrast to the 40,000 hours of on-wing time typical of the Franco-American International CFM56.
This means the engines will have to be removed and sent for overhaul every year, implying more time on the ground and less commercial service.
S7 Airlines is maintaining its fleet of imported Airbus and Boeing aircraft for as long as possible due to the limitations of the PD-14 engines.
Russia is facing the challenge of developing its own engines and extending the service life of Western aircraft under sanctions, otherwise, they may not have any foreign aircraft by 2030.
There is a suggestion to focus on reverse engineering and replicating advanced technology to extend equipment service life and prove their capabilities in operation.
