The Propeller web resource.News under the heading"The situation with the components and technical support of the An-148 has worsened to the limit" published an interview with the Director of the airline "Angara" Sergey Salamatov on the sad result of the operation of the An-148-100E passenger aircraft by this airline. The material contains interesting details about the current state of the Russian fleet of an-148 aircraft.
The last an-148-100E aircraft in service with Angara airlines in a state of airworthiness (registration number RA-61714, factory number 27015042014, serial number 42-01). But this car does not fly often. The last time the Flightradar24 service recorded the flight of the RA-61714 at the end of November 2020 (C) Andrey Tsipan / propeller. news
- Sergey Eduardovich, eight years ago, your airline started implementing a promising project-commercial operation of promising regional or short-haul an-148-100E Voronezh-built aircraft in Eastern Siberia and the far East at that time. Today it is interesting to understand how it all started and why in the end most of these cars in your fleet were chained to the ground?
- I will start with the fact that the trilateral dialogue on the need to update our fleet of aircraft, in which, in addition to Angara, the lessor Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC) and the government of the Irkutsk region participated, started a year before the first An-148 was accepted - in the fourth quarter of 2011.
We had to replace the morally and technically outdated an-24/26 turboprop aircraft. Since Angara has been based at Irkutsk airport since its birth in 2000, the regional administration was ready to support us, because we have always performed socially significant and subsidized passenger transportation between the regional center and remote cities and towns of the Angara region.
- The role of the regional leadership in the project is clear. Tell us more about the leasing company's participation in the project. I remember that she actively promoted the An-148, advertised the ability of the machine to fly to unpaved airfields.
- IFC management held a number of working meetings and presentations for the regional government, primarily for the Ministry of housing policy, energy, transport and communications of the Irkutsk region and the Ministry of economic development of the Irkutsk region, as well as for us during the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first half of 2012.
- And what was declared in terms of the future route network and flight performance characteristics (LTX) of the aircraft intended for delivery?
- An-148-high-altitude plane. This means that the aircraft has a higher protection of the engine from damage by foreign objects, which is especially important in conditions of prepared unpaved runways and artificial runways with low quality of coverage.
Therefore, it was assumed that the An-148 will replace the An-24/26 on routes from Irkutsk to Bodaibo, Mamu, Ust-Kut, Bratsk and Kirensk. But later, out of all the above, we managed to perform passenger transportation safely on a regular basis only to Bratsk.
All other mentioned airports in the Irkutsk region, which were partially based on the financial model presented by the IFC, were not suitable for receiving an-148 Due to the condition of the runway. We still have to fly them from Irkutsk on an-24/26.
- Did I understand correctly that the airport infrastructure in the region where Angara operates leaves much to be desired?
- The airport infrastructure of the Irkutsk region is now such that the only really suitable aircraft for the intraregional network is the An-24/26. the Airport infrastructure of neighboring regions - the Republic of Buryatia, the TRANS-Baikal territory, is no better than Irkutsk.
- Wait, the data map of the An-148 type certificate indicates that the aircraft can be operated at airfields with GVPP. What's the catch?
- We consider the permission to operate an-148 aircraft at airfields with GVPP, which is included in the type certificate, to a greater extent as a reserve one. What does it mean? The crew has the opportunity to land on a runway with a dirt surface in an emergency situation: for example, due to a technical malfunction. After Troubleshooting, perform a flight to the base.
We cannot seriously talk about regular flights to airfields with GVPP, because of the poor engineering infrastructure or lack of it at all, which is necessary for receiving an-148 aircraft. For this very reason, Northern airports do not have the appropriate permission of the aviation authorities to receive our aircraft. In particular, the Bodaibo airport does not have such access.
- It's a shame, because not only IFK was betting on the an-148. In 2010, I think. Vladimir Putin called this car good and modern, capable of taking off from unpaved airfields.
- Yes, in 2011-2012, the An-148/158 was positioned as a modern, domestic aircraft, the production and technical support of which is already organized on the basis of the Voronezh joint-stock aircraft construction company (VASO).
From interviews with the heads of VASO and IFC, it followed that the number of aircraft produced (AF) will grow to almost 20-30 An-148 per year. The car will be made from Russian components, 95% of the cost of the aircraft will be created in Russia. Aeroflot announced its readiness to add two dozen new an-148 Aircraft to its fleet.
The high technical reliability of the machine, which can provide a monthly flight of 250-300 hours, was largely due to Russian spare parts and components. A potential An-148 operator would not depend on foreign manufacturers and suppliers, the delivery time of spare parts and currency risks would be significantly lower than for example for aircraft operators produced by Boeing and Airbus.
The presentations of the IFC Pro An-148/158 emphasized the feasibility of using these aircraft on international air lines (MVL) in order to consistently replace the Boeing 737-300/500 aircraft.
- And what did you finally agree on?
- At the stage of trilateral negotiations, it was assumed that the first batch of five aircraft would be added to the Angara fleet in 2012-2013. The second batch-also of five cars-in 2014.
In fact, we received three new aircraft on lease from the IFC in late 2012 and early 2013. We received two more An-148s from Sberbank Leasing Nord, but already in 2014, both of them were flown by Polet airlines.
- Why did this happen?
- The reason lies in the intensity of the political situation with Ukraine and, as a result, in the collapse of the former Soviet aviation industry. After all, in fact, the an-148 Is a joint product of the two countries.
Ukrainian state-owned enterprise (SOE) "Antonov" developed the aircraft, built the first copies. Based on the design documentation of Antonov state enterprise, VASO began to produce these machines.
The first serial an-148 Was built in 2009 in Russia, and in 2010 in Ukraine. But already in 2014-2016, VASO was engaged in the production of this type of aircraft only by order of the state aviation administration.
All the talk about mass production of the an-148 For commercial airlines gradually faded away. As a result, in 2018, the Voronezh aircraft factory produced the last aircraft for the Russian defense Ministry. Since then, the production of the an-148 In Russia has been mothballed. At the Kiev aircraft factory, this type ceased to be produced in 2015.
- The background is clear, thank you. But there are questions that I can't help but ask. That's why you believed the An-148 ad? After all, it is clear that every Sandpiper praises its swamp. Did you only fit the An-148?
- At the turn of 2010-2011, this type of aircraft was interesting to operators, had good flight characteristics and, if not for the catastrophic political changes in the relations of once-related countries-Russia and Ukraine, was quite viable.
At that stage, we considered the ATR72-500, but the plans were to expand the geography of flights. The range of the Franco-Italian armed forces is incomparably small, compared to the An-148.
The Superjet 100 had too many technical problems at the time of our decision. Among them: low reliability from burnout (heat resistance) of the engine; with a slight operating time, the appearance of cracks on the stabilizer attachment points, as well as problems with strengthening the wing.
Later, already operating the an-148, we returned to the development of the Superjet 100 variant. But the lease payment for these aircraft was twice as expensive as for the An-148 with unresolved technical problems at the time, limiting the flight of the aircraft.
- Or the monthly marketing RAID you mentioned. But for a regional aircraft, this is a lot, especially for an aircraft that does not fly in European Russia. Why did you believe in these numbers?
- The lessor claimed a monthly flight time of 250-300 hours at the stage of entering into the transaction. At that time, it was assumed that the an-148 routes would be replaced by the An-24/26. And, of course, there will be an additional spread due to the high range of this type.
For our financial model, we never focused on 250-300 hours. The maximum flight time was set at 200 hours - this is a very real figure. In fact, we managed to achieve the maximum monthly flight time: for a fleet of five aircraft-931 hours; for one aircraft-233 hours.
- Why are you generally interested in the size of 75 passenger seats? How well does the an-148 meet the needs of your region?
- The dimension of 75 seats is just the most optimal for Eastern Siberia and the Far East. There is not such a dense passenger traffic as in the Central part of Russia. Therefore, a 100-seat sun for local routes is an overkill. In addition, the passenger capacity of the An-148 best meets the needs of the oil and gas sector for the transportation of shift crews.
- Now let's talk about an-148 after-sales support. Are you satisfied with her level?
- Throughout the entire period of development and operation of the an-148, our airline is experiencing great difficulties related to ensuring the supply of units and components (AICS) of Ukrainian production.
"Why not?"
- For unknown reasons, Angara has been on the list of legal entities that have been sanctioned by the national security and defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine since 2016.
The situation with the supply of Aiki, as well as with the maintenance of airworthiness (PLG) of our An-148 has now worsened to the limit.
From the side of Ukrainian companies terminated cooperation with the "Angara". This negatively affects the normal technical and commercial operation of the An-148.
- When did this become particularly obvious?
- Starting from 2018, to perform a periodic form of maintenance (to) 2C+S2C, we needed to stop two aircraft at once for a month and a half in order to dismantle and install the Aiki From one an-148 To another. The reason is the lack of components and engines.
In order not to be unfounded, I will give an extreme visual example. To exit the 2C+S2C form of the aircraft with the registration number RA-61714 in January 2020, the RA-61713 Board had to be stopped to dismantle the necessary components. Because of this, in the period from January 19 to March 11, two aircraft were in non-flight validity.
"But I suppose this plane is back in service?"
- Unfortunately, to date, more than 290 Aiki positions have been dismantled on the RA-61713 vehicle, both main engines D-436-148, and the auxiliary power plant AI-450-MS. These components are used for plgs operated by an-148, namely RA-61711 and RA-61714. As a result, the RA-61713 was not ready for operation in the spring-summer period of 2020. The East Siberian interregional territorial administration (VS MTU) of the Federal air transport Agency has suspended the certificate of airworthiness (SLG) of this aircraft.
And on November 27, the territorial authority of the Federal air transport Agency, as part of the certification of the aircraft with the registration number RA-61711, refused to issue a new SLG for a number of reasons. The main one is the lack of air-conditioned APU on the plane. Thus, at the moment, only one of the five An-148 aircraft is in service, with the registration number RA-61714.
- And for what reasons did the main power plant have to be dismantled?
- Our airline has 10 d-436-148 engines at its disposal. However, five of them were removed from operation by the Motor Sich decision due to technical inconsistencies.
The situation with the technical support of the engines, too sad. From may 2018 to October 2019, we sent three of the five faulty engines to the Motor Sich manufacturer and its associated Russian company, Borysfen, for repair. But so far, these engines have not been returned to us from repair. But at our production base in Irkutsk, three more faulty d-436-148 engines are waiting for repair.
- Is the situation similar for the APU?
- We have 12 AI-450-MS engines. That includes seven subs. But Motor Sich suspended 10 AI-450-MS from operation due to their technical inconsistency.
In the period from March 2017 to March 2019, we sent 6 out of 10 faulty AI-450-MS to Motor Sich and Borysfen. To date, they have not been returned to us. Four of our auxiliary engines for the An-148 are waiting to be repaired at Irkutsk airport from January 2020.
As a result, only a couple of serviceable AI-450MS engines are in operation, which are installed on the RA-61711 and RA-61714 machines. As you can see, we can actually operate only one an-148 out of five.
- You yourself noticed that borysthenes is a Russian company. Why couldn't she fix the engines?
- Our experience of interaction with borysthenes has shown that modular engine repairs for the An-148 are ineffective in this enterprise. For example, the D-436-148 with the factory number 2251481000032 had three failures in the entire history of operation. Five years ago, in October 2015, it recorded a dangerous level of vibration. The engine was restored in "Motor Sich". In August 2019, oil in the same engine got from the shaft to the working blades of the low-pressure compressor. In March of this year, after the engine was restored by borysthenes specialists, it was installed on the RA-61714 car. During the engine race, we found damage to the blades. As a result, the engine is suspended from operation and is located at our production base awaiting repair.
- How was Angara affected by the situation with the need to improve the An-148: four years ago, Antonov issued a Directive to improve the conditions for monitoring the sidewall condition to prevent the occurrence of a dangerous condition of the aircraft?
- Indeed, during the operation of the entire mass-produced an-148 fleet, the main serious design flaw of the standard aircraft design was revealed, expressed in the formation of cracks on the power frame No. 23. Shortcomings are eliminated by Bulletin No. 148-416BD and Bulletin No. 148-418-DB.
The second structural disadvantage of the An-148 design is the formation of cracks on the fuselage panel of the upper rear panel in the area of the airframe frames No. 23-29. Eliminated by Bulletin No. 148-453-DB.
- And here you are ready to give an example?
- Alas. Here is the story of identifying a design flaw on the RA-61710.
In September 2017, when performing Bulletin No. 148-416BD on the aircraft during non-destructive testing, specialists of the Moscow scientific and technical center "ERAT" found cracks on two holes in the side of the power frame No. 23 of the aircraft.
In accordance with the method of "Antonov" company performed the sample cracks. The car was allowed for controlled operation with an inspection of the zone every 40 landings.
But in December 2019, on the same aircraft, on the left side in the direction of flight, an external inspection revealed a crack on the fuselage skin in the area of the frame No. 23. Antonov allowed the aircraft to be operated under control, provided that the crack was drilled and assigned the execution of Bulletin No. 148-418-DB and Bulletin No. 148-453-DB. These ballots shall be performed by the specialists of "VASO".
Further, at the end of July of this year, on the RA-61710 car on the left side on the frame number 23, nondestructive testing specialists from the ERAT research center near Moscow found a new crack.
Given that this particular an-148 has been operated under control since October 2017, and the detected defect on the fuselage power frame No. 23 poses a potential threat to flight safety, further operation of the RA-61710 machine, as well as its SLG, has been suspended by the decision of the Federal air transport Agency MTU of August 20, 2020. According to our information, VASO does not have ready-made components to eliminate the identified inconsistencies.
- Do the an-148's design flaws end there?
- No. In our opinion, the typical design disadvantages of this type of aircraft include the formation of cracks on the ribs No. 8, No. 9 of the end (cantilever) part of the wing.
According to service Bulletin No. 148-57-134 of Antonov state enterprise, this revision is performed no later than 12 thousand flights. At the same time, I note that we found cracks on the ribs of aircraft with registration numbers RA-61709, RA-61713 and RA-61714 at earlier stages than it is assumed by the specified Bulletin. For example, on one aircraft, this is 4814 landings since the beginning of operation.
As a result, all three cars were modified by VASO specialists. The RA-61710 and RA-61711 aircraft have yet to be finalized.
- What else is wrong with you?
- The developer of the type, contrary to the resources stated in the ST264-an-148 type certificate, made changes to the maintenance program (PTO). These changes have determined the need to perform an additional amount of work in THE maintenance of aircraft with a significant increase in the complexity and timing of maintenance, which often leads to the replacement of parts and components before the end of the assigned service life.
- What specific components are you talking about?
- Most of the changes and additions made to the An-148 maintenance planning document are related to design errors. For example, this affected the dismantling of the 30030-140 APU generator for MAINTENANCE in the service center. Initially, this had to be done when completing form C (after 36 months or 7,500 flight hours). But later in the DPTO set the frequency in 2000 hours of flight.
Or inspection of the hardboard bushings installed in the chassis. When designing and manufacturing the front landing gear (POS) and main landing gear (OOSH) An-148-100E, the developer used bushings with an orgalon coating in the mobile nodes (joints) of the chassis.
Initially, the chassis inspection was not provided for in the operational documentation (ED). It was supposed to operate the aircraft without an additional landing gear FOR 10 thousand landings.
However, starting with 2.2 thousand landings, when performing periodic forms of aircraft maintenance, we found defects associated with the development of hardboard coating on the POS bushings (taxiing mechanism, lever). I had to replace these bushings with air-conditioned ones.
- How did the developer of the aircraft react to this?
- First, the DPTO established the frequency of inspection of the chassis after 6 thousand landings (without dismantling the chassis). Later, the frequency was reduced to 3 thousand plantings. At the same time, you need to inspect absolutely all the bushings in the chassis supports of the aircraft. To perform this operation, all three pillars of the an-148 chassis are completely dismantled.
- But taking into account the premature development of the hardboard coating, surely new bushings are needed?
- Yes, in order to create a stock of sleeves with orgalon coating in the technical first aid kit of our aviation technical complex (ATK) in Irkutsk, it was necessary to place a one-time order at the Dnipro state enterprise Yuzhmash (Ukraine) for an amount exceeding 5 million rubles for each aircraft. Moreover, we would have to replenish this stock every 2-3 thousand plantings during the entire life of the An-148-100E, and the production period of these products is 6-9 months.
Given the sanctions imposed on Angara ,we were forced to follow the path of improving the chassis. On our initiative, Antonov approved the design documentation for the replacement of hardboard chassis bushings with bronze ones.
In 2017, at the expense of the airline on the basis of the Nizhny Novgorod enterprise "GidroMash", the completion of the first set of chassis was successfully completed. The idle period was 8 months. To continue the operation of the An-148, three sets of chassis were modified at our expense.
- It's time to talk about import substitution. After all, part of the Aiki for the An-148 is produced by Ukrainian enterprises.
- To try to resolve this issue, in March 2020, we sent a request to Antonov to carry out work on replacing Ukrainian products in the an-148 With similar products of Russian or imported production.
- And what did the developer say to you?
- He explained that the procedure for replacing Ukrainian components will require the release of design documentation, testing and certification work, which can only be performed on a contractual basis.
Antonov also offered to send us copies of refusals from suppliers of purchased components (PKI) to cooperate with Angara, which we did.
For our part, we believe that the order of design documentation and subsequent testing and certification should not fall on the shoulders of the only civil operator of the An-148 in the CIS. Also, in our opinion, this process should be carried out under the control of the Russian aviation authorities.
- What are the real opportunities for import substitution in the an-148?
- Today, only nits can be mentioned among the specific promising options. After contacting this Moscow research Institute in June 2018 with a request to consider the possibility of import substitution of an-148-100 cabin glazing products, we received a response that in August 2020, a "Solution for conducting standard glass tests"was developed. After testing, it is possible to establish the production of glazing, but only in the case of delivery from" Angara " fittings (frames).
Just recently, on November 9, we received a response from the Antonov state enterprise regarding aircraft Windows. The possibility of interchangeability of windshields for nits products is real. But only after the certification work. To do this, we first need to get the approval of the state export control service (SES) of Ukraine to conclude a contract with Antonov, which is obviously unrealistic.
- I wonder how many items of products for the An-148 are produced by Ukrainian enterprises?
- The full list of products for the An-148-100E, which are now produced exclusively on the territory of Ukraine and do not have any Russian or foreign analogues, compiled by Angara's technical specialists, includes more than two dozen AICS.
- Is there an alternative among the An-148 engine maintenance service providers?
- As I have already noted, the PLG capabilities of the main and auxiliary engines are limited. The only representative of the Zaporozhye enterprise "Motor Sich" on the territory of Russia - the Moscow company "Borysfen" is able to perform only modular repairs of engines D-436-148 (with the exception of repair of the main module - this is possible only in factory conditions) and AI-450-MS. There are no other options for import substitution of PLG services for the main engines and APU of an-148 aircraft in Russia.
- But some types of work on the An-148, engines for them, the engineering and aviation service "Angara" probably performs independently?
- On an-148-100V/E/EA/EM aircraft, their engines and APUS, we can perform the entire range of work provided for in the operational documentation in accordance with the operator's maintenance program at our main production base at Irkutsk airport, within the framework of our own FAP-285 certificate. For example, Angara specialists performed periodic MAINTENANCE forms on An-148 aircraft of the Russian emergencies Ministry.
- What is the main difficulty of the PLG of your five An-148 aircraft?
- The main problem is the lack of a legitimate program to control aging. According to the ED, the design (assigned) resource and calendar period of the An-148-100E established by Antonov state enterprise is 80 thousand hours / 30 thousand landings / 30 years.
But according to section 04 of the An-148 operating manual, this type of aircraft has airworthiness restrictions for the current stage of working out the design life of the aircraft. Now these restrictions are 20 thousand hours / 7 thousand landings / 10 years.
Thus, today the an-148 Angara fleet is approaching the completion of the current stage of the project life and service life.
- And what to do next?
- According to section 05-10-00 of the An-148 operating manual, the transition to the next stage of development of the project resource is possible if the work is performed under the aging control program developed by Antonov state enterprise.
During 2019-2020, we sent four requests to Antonov and VASO for the provision of an aging control program. So far, our request remains unanswered.
But even if we have an aging control program for operators, its legitimacy in Russia is limited by the explanatory letter of may 10, 2016, signed by the head of the Federal air transport Agency, and Federal government resolution No. 1283 of November 28, 2015 "on changing and invalidating certain acts of the Government of the Russian Federation".
"What does it mean?"
- That all the authority to certify the type of aircraft (modifications, modification of the design of the sample, adjustment of restrictions, issuance of approval, additional type certificate and other approval documentation) has been transferred to the Federal air transport Agency.
In accordance with the Protocol (No. 106/03-PR25. 03. 2020 of March 19, 2020) of the meeting held at the Federal air transport Agency, there is no agreement between this Agency and the aviation authorities of Ukraine, and Antonov does not have a contractual relationship and does not provide certification information to the Russian aviation Register.
Thus, further operation of an-148 aircraft registered in the register of civil aircraft of Russia, their admission to work out the next stage of more than 20,000 hours, 7000 landings, 10 years, is possible only after the removal of restrictions established by the Manual for technical operation of the aircraft.
In other words, it is necessary to carry out activities under the aircraft aging control program and get approval from the Federal air transport Agency for major changes in the standard design associated with an increase in resource indicators over 20 thousand hours / 7 thousand landings / 10 years.
Moreover, these changes need to be made to the type certificate in the manner prescribed by the letter of the head of Federal air transport Agency (ex. No. АН10.3-1584 from 10 may 2015) or the provisions of the order of Ministry of transport of the Russian Federation No. 184 of July 17, 2019, on approval of Federal aviation rules (FAP) "Certification of aviation equipment, the organization of developers and manufacturers. Part 21".
Failure to comply with one of the requirements makes further operation of an-148 aircraft and its certification under the FAP " aircraft Copy. Certification requirements and procedures" (so-called FAP-132) impossible.
- Have you already done something in connection with these circumstances?
- In July of this year, we sent a letter to Antonov describing the problems of maintaining the airworthiness of an-148 aircraft, and also offered to pass certification in accordance with the rules I mentioned.
In response, Antonov said that it does not consider it necessary to be certified by the aviation administration of the Russian Federation, since the An-148 type certificate and all changes and additions to this document were issued by the IAC AR.
- Vicious circle.
- In which we were left with one flying An-148 out of five. However, we have already touched on this with you: the armed forces of the MTU of the Federal air transport Agency suspended the SLG of four of our An-148.
SLG Board RA-61709 suspended due to understaffing of the machine. The aircraft does not have an AI-450-MS air-conditioned auxiliary engine, components of Ukrainian production: two blocks of backup control of the BRUI-148-01 interceptors and the MVP-1-1 air parameters module.
The aircraft RA-61710 SLG suspended due to the discovery of cracks in the frame №23, the lack of certified APU, three BRUI-148-01, device control and thermal control glass, control and monitoring air glass cockpit, heating control zones the feet of pilots OUTS-140M, the alarm unit BS-1 and IMP-1-1.
At the third An-148, registration number RA-61713, the air authorities suspended the SLG due to understaffing and unavailability for operation in the spring-summer period of 2020. For the car there are no air-conditioned both main engines, APU, more than 290 Aiki positions.
The fourth RA-61711 does not have an air-conditioned APU and a number of Ukrainian-made CI.
- Does the Federal air transport Agency really not care about the problems of the An-148?
- On October 7, after our two written appeals to the Federal air transport Agency in 2020 on problematic issues of an-148 operation, a meeting was held with the participation of specialists from the regulator, the state research Institute of civil aviation, VASO, Borysfen, UEC-Klimov, NPP Aerosil and operators of the An-148 state aviation: SLO "Russia", the Department of aviation and rescue technologies of the Ministry of emergency situations, the FSB aviation Department, the Ministry of defense.
The first speakers at the meeting were "Angara": we identified all our problems - they listened to us.
- And what did the representatives of the state aviation administration say - it has more than 20 an-148 At its disposal?
- The representative of the Ministry of defense explained that they have 60% of the existing An-148 fleet on the wing. Moreover, the flight time for the entire service life (from 2013-2014) for one aircraft does not exceed 600 hours, and for the entire fleet 6 thousand hours. They need to serve five of the APU.
They want EMZ for them. Myasishcheva (authorized to engage in design and technological support of An-148 aircraft in the interests of state aviation) engaged in import substitution. The Ministry of defense also reminded about the lack of a test stand for d-436-148 engines in Russia.
As the representative of the aviation of EMERCOM in the Park two An-148 - it follows that now one machine is maintained in flying condition due to the second.
At the very end of the meeting, a representative of the FSB spoke. According to him, there are no options for deep PLG main engines and APU in Russia, of course, no. He asked to put it in the Protocol and was surprised how "Angara" with such a large RAID still manages to operate the An-148.
- How did you get feedback from non-operators at the meeting?
- We were told that Yes, there are problems, but they are all solvable and to organize and Finance import substitution, it is necessary to attract UAC and Il.
As for the issues related to the development of a legitimate aging program, VASO must submit an application to the Federal air transport Agency for obtaining an An-148 type holder certificate by the end of 2020. At the same time, the certification period will be about 8-9 months.
But there is still no record of this meeting, although almost two months have passed. It can be assumed that the state aviation administration, in one way or another, will solve its problems with EMZ im. Myasishcheva. But for now, just like us, it will operate part of the fleet, removing AICS from some cars and putting them on others.
- The story you described is very sad. What clear steps and from whom are needed to ensure that Angara continues to develop at the expense of the an-148?
- To continue the An-148 flights in record time, something that has been dragging on for years must suddenly happen: the transfer of the type certificate from Antonov state enterprise to VASO. This is necessary so that a legitimate aging program can be developed and approved in Russia and the bulletins can be implemented in the future.
In parallel, it is necessary to establish import substitution of the main engines, APU and almost all components of the aircraft control system.
Obviously, no one will do this for us, as the only commercial operator of this type in Russia.
As I said, we assume that the state aviation authorities operating the An-148 will sooner or later solve this problem for themselves. But they have no such urgency yet: the RAID on their An-148 fleet is insignificant. And this is despite the fact that the situation with the source of spare parts is completely similar to the situation in Angara: half of the fleet flies, and the second is used as donors to support the first.
- I wonder how you solve the Issue with the an-24/26 PLG today, given that you are under Ukrainian sanctions?
- Now we are working on the PLG of the An-24/26 fleet in accordance with the established procedure with the participation of GosNII GA.
In August 2017 this organization in accordance with aviation regulation part 21 "Certification of aircraft, organizations, developers and manufacturers" promulgated by the Ministry of transport dated December 19, 2013, No. 474, issued a developer certificate for more of the type certificate of the aircraft equipment № FAVT-R-1.
In accordance with this certificate, GosNII GA is approved as the developer of an additional type certificate for an-24/26, An-74 aircraft of all modifications registered in the state register of civil armed forces of Russia, and AI-24, D-36 engines of all modifications installed on them, in terms of maintaining their airworthiness.
- My opinion is that no one will actively deal with the An-148 problems. What do you intend to do next in terms of fleet development?
- Our opinions are the same. We are currently working on various options for developing the Park. As a replacement for the An-24/26 on regional routes, we are considering the possibility of operating Dash 8-400Q aircraft. The range of flights of these canadian turboprop machines in 2 thousand km will allow to provide flights to neighboring regions, to Mongolia and a number of cities in China.
- Do you regret today that you decided to fly the an-148? After all, it was easily predicted that everything would end this way. Yes, and before my eyes was a good example of "Yakutia" with an-140.
- The An-140 example is not exactly analogous to the An-148. the An-140 is known for its failures, and more than one plane crash; in 2015, Aviakor Samara finally curtailed production of this type.
An-148 aircraft, on the contrary, proved to be very good in operation. In 2011-2012, they were positioned as modern domestic aircraft, the production and technical support of which is already organized by VASO - I have already told you about all this.
At the stage of concluding leasing transactions, no one expected such an aggravation of the situation with Ukraine, and even more so that our airline would suddenly be included in the sanctions list.
- After all, why did you continue to implement this project, although you probably did not realize right now that everything went wrong as you wanted and dreamed. After all, the Ukrainian watershed occurred six years ago, when you received additional An-148s.
- We concluded both leasing deals even before the aggravation of political relations with Ukraine. Serious problems in cooperation with Ukrainian factories began in 2017.
During these three years, we have taken all measures to maintain airworthiness. Without direct access to manufacturers of spare parts and components, we had to overpay intermediaries who were not under sanctions and had access to Ukrainian manufacturers. Of course, this significantly increased the cost of the an-148 PLG.
In addition, we purchased or rented additional replacement engines, but they are already up and waiting for repairs. But the most important thing is the complete unpredictability of the terms of repair and return of repaired units or the arrival of new components from Ukraine to Russia. For example, some of the engines have been under repair since 2017.
- Briefly about the economy. Has the operation of the An-148 ever brought you a net profit or only generated losses?
- As for the financial result of the project as a whole, we were able to achieve a net profit when all expenses are taken into account for two years out of eight years of operation.
