Aeroflot Cancels, Delays Some Superjet Flights In Wake Of Deadly Plane Crash
A Superjet 100 on a test flight over Italy
MOSCOW -- Aeroflot has canceled or delayed more than a half-dozen flights that used the Sukhoi Superjet, days after 41 people were killed in a crash-landing at a Moscow airport.
Three Minsk-bound flights were delayed on May 8 due to unspecified technical problems with the jets, and a flight to Rostov-on-Don was canceled due to a broken steering position indicator. Passengers were later flown to the southern city aboard a Boeing jet.
On May 7, a Superjet flight from Moscow to Riga was delayed by three hours after passengers complained of a burning smell and demanded a different plane, according to the news agency BNS.
The Turbulent Journey Of Sukhoi's Superjet
1/15The aftermath of the May 5 tragedy at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after the plane's crew issued a distress call and turned back shortly after takeoff. Amateur video appeared to show the Superjet 100 bursting into flames after bouncing violently along the runway.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
2/15A 2007 photo of a model Superjet 100 during aerodynamics testing. Development of the plane began in 2000 by Sukhoi, a storied airplane manufacturer within Russia's United Aircraft Corporation.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
3/15The distinctive cockpit window frame of the Superjet being assembled. The Russian government would eventually fund some 25% of the reported $1.4 billion spent on development of the jet, intended primarily for use as a regional passenger plane.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
4/15The maiden flight of a Superjet in May 2008. The rollout marked a significant departure for the United Aircraft Corporation, which makes mostly combat aircraft.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
5/15A test pilot is feted by Sukhoi executives after the Superjet's first flight. But celebrations in the company proved short-lived.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
6/15Superjets under construction in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia's Far East. The plane was initially slated to be available to buyers by 2009, but problems with its engines delayed its entry to the market.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
7/15A powerjet SaM146 engine, used on the Superjet 100 plane, being tested. The engines, made jointly by Russian and French companies, reportedly took longer than expected to be certified.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
8/15An SaM146 engine being tested in 2009. The head of United Aircraft Corporation at the time told reporters, "It turned out [the engines] were not ready. I think the problems were indeed technical -- a new engine is being developed."
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
9/15In 2011, the Superjet first entered commercial service with Armenia's national carrier.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
10/15A Superjet makes a low pass at a Moscow airshow. By 2015 the Superjet was considered largely an engineering success, but sales were slow.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
11/15But in 2012 a demonstration flight ended in disaster in Indonesia when a Russian pilot, reportedly distracted by potential Asian buyers aboard the aircraft, ignored an automated warning system and slammed into a mountain, killing all 45 passengers and crew.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
12/15
Aviation news website Flightglobal wrote in 2015 that the Superjet 100 had in many ways "achieved what its creators set out to do. It is a five-abreast, 100-seat aircraft with reasonable economics that stands apart from rivals in terms of cabin width and comfort." In 2018, Russia's Aeroflot airlines ordered 100 of the planes. But possible problems with the plane's engines have recently resurfaced.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
13/15A pilot inside the Superjet's cockpit. Beginning in 2018, several Superjets have been grounded due to questions about the SaM146 engine.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
14/15A Superjet engine undergoing maintenance. Russia's Yakutia Airlines and Mexican carrier Interjet have both reported issues with their Superjets' engines. As of March, 15 of the 22 Superjet 100s operated by Interjet were out of service.
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
15/15Investigators of the fiery May 5 crash (pictured) say they will examine several possibilities for what might have caused the accident, including “equipment malfunction, technical inspection, meteorological conditions, and crew qualification.”
A crash that killed 41 people when an Aeroflot flight burst into flames during an emergency landing in Moscow is among four major incidents involving the Superjet 100.* Issues have plagued the Russian jet since its inception.
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The Interfax news agency, meanwhile, reported on May 8 that Superjet flights from Moscow to Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, and the Swedish city of Goteborg had also been canceled, according to flight departure boards at Sheremetyevo airport.
The newspaper RBK said 11 flights had been canceled or delayed at Sheremetyevo as of the evening of May 8.
Aeroflot did not immediately comment on the number of cancelations or delays.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused a Murmansk-bound Superjet on May 5 to make an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo less than an hour after taking off. The jet burst into flames after it made a hard landing, killing 41 of the 78 people on board.
One of the pilots, and several passengers, have been reported as saying that the jet was struck by lightning while in the air.
Aeroflot has long shed its troubled post-Soviet safety record, with its fleet relying mainly on Boeing and Airbus aircraft. However, the state-owned company also owns at least 50 Superjets that it operates on both domestic and international routes.
Manufactured by the state conglomerate United Aircraft Corp., the Superjet is a midrange regional jet, conceived of as a way to bolster the country’s civil aviation manufacturing industry in the face of competition from Boeing and Airbus, as well as Embraer and Bombardier.
The jet has seen a series of problems since its launch in 2011, and Russia has struggled to convince foreign airlines to purchase it.
Since the crash, there have been a growing number of calls to ground all Superjets nationwide. Transport Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh has said there's no reason to ground the planes pending the outcome of the investigation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "only the competent aviation authorities" would be able to make a decision to ground the plane.
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![An SaM146 engine being tested in 2009. The head of United Aircraft Corporation at the time told reporters, "It turned out [the engines] were not ready. I think the problems were indeed technical -- a new engine is being developed."](https://gdb.rferl.org/cad9caf5-eb8e-4154-b593-48d87debef94_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
