There’s always been a certain risk involved in flying. But there’s risk involved in crossing the street, or stepping into the bathtub. All in all, flying has long been one of the safest means of travel. Hasn’t it?

Well, that all depends on a number of factors. What’s the make and model of the plane? What airports are you leaving from and heading to? What airline is operating the flight? And, probably most importantly . . . what did your horoscope say this morning? Because, as we all know, there are no guarantees in life.

Though there are some ways we can mitigate the dangers of air travel. And at the top of that list — my list, at least — is: Do not, under any circumstances, go to Russia.

Now I hear you thinking, “Whoa! How stupid does she think I am? Why would I want to go to a place where I could be arrested just for using the wrong words, like ‘war,’ or ‘gay,’ or ‘Putin sucks’”?

Calm down — I know you’re smarter than that. I’m not speaking about the political situation there . . . only the issue of flight safety. Aeroflot, though never the most luxurious of airlines, was at one time one of the safest. Never mind that the seat backs flopped forward when you stood up, or that the overhead racks for carry-on luggage had no doors, or that there was no barrier between smoking and non-smoking so the air was always thick with a blue-gray carcinogenic haze. But the pilots were said to be expert, mostly former military; and the equipment, while old and musty, was assiduously maintained — or at least, that’s what they said. I was never nervous flying on an Aeroflot flight . . . except for the lung cancer thing from the smoke.

But times have changed, and not entirely for the better. Oh, they have more updated planes now. Boeing 777s, for example. Good planes, manufactured by a great company, right? But even a Rolls Royce has to be maintained in order to keep running properly. And from what I’ve read recently, that’s not happening.

On November 30th, 2023, an Aeroflot Boeing-777, flying out of Moscow, made an emergency landing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The cause of the problem was initially stated to be “chassis issues.” [RIA Novosti.]

The Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Sakhalin Region said the plane had a warning of a drop in pressure in one of the landing gear wheels during the flight. Again, the reports appear to be understating the issues; looking at the photo of the landing gear in question (above, as posted on social media), I count four flat tires, the other two being hidden from view. So, not really a “chassis issue,” and not just one of the landing gear wheels.

Further details concerning the state of Russia’s airline industry have come from a Ukrainian hack of Kremlin records, which revealed that “Russia’s stricken airline industry is ‘on the verge of collapse.’” [Kyiv Post, Dec. 2, 2023.] The report states that several similar incidents have occurred in recent months, including one in August in which passengers on a Red Wings flight were stranded in Yekaterinburg for 24 hours “due to simultaneous ‘technical malfunctions’ on the only two available aircraft.”

In the same month, faults in the weather monitoring system caused a delay in Thailand of a Russian Pegas Fly plane. And in early October, “Aeroflot suffered three technical failures to its planes in a single day.” [Kyiv Post, Dec. 2, 2023.]

The foregoing information was gathered by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (HUR) from “a hack into Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency “Rosaviatsiya” computer system on which it records all data relating to flight safety records, including reports on ‘emergency events,’” and covered an 18-month period from 2022 and 2023.

“Their analysis of the information obtained led the intelligence staff to one inescapable conclusion — Russia’s civil aviation ‘is on the verge of collapse.’” [Kyiv Post, Dec. 2, 2023.]

Lest you conclude that this is a case of sour grapes on the part of some Ukrainian journalists looking for ways to strike another blow at Russia, be assured that there is further confirmation of the sad condition of Russia’s commercial airlines. A report by Isabel van Brugen and Yevgeny Kuklychev in the December 9, 2023 issue of Newsweek states that recent Western sanctions against Russia have “suffocated” the aviation industry, resulting in a tripling of the number of plane malfunctions in just one year. Under the sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, U.S. aircraft manufacturers have stopped delivering spare parts and new planes to Russia, creating the current crisis. According to data gathered by Newsweek, in the short period from September 2023 to December 8, 2023, “Russia saw a total of 60 commercial aviation incidents that involved emergency landings, engine fires and malfunctions, along with other technical issues forcing the planes to abandon their intended routes.”

In addition, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that, between January and August, 2023, “More than 120 air accidents were recorded in Russia involving civil aircraft used by Russian airlines,” bringing the total number to over 180 in this year alone.

In 2022, 60 such incidents — one-third as many as this year — were recorded; and between 2018 and 2022, an average of “only” 55 accidents were recorded during the same months. [Novaya Gazeta Europe.]

*. *. *

But enough statistics. Suffice it to say, things are bad — really bad — in Russia’s airline industry. I leave it to you and your good judgment to decide on your airline of choice if you find yourself in a position of having to travel to the ancient land of Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Rachmaninoff. (Ah, the good old days!) Unfortunately for people in Russia traveling domestically, there isn’t much choice. To my mind, trains are probably your best option . . . if you can stand the rest rooms.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
12/11/23