Aviation watchdog revokes all Boeing-737 licenses in Russia

The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) has revoked the licenses of all Boeing-737 jets operating in Russia due to security reasons.

According to an IAC letter sent to Aleksandr Neradko, head of Rosaviatsiya, and Margaret Gilligan, deputy head of FAA, the IAC suspended the licenses of all Boeing-737 jets until the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) given an assurance that Boeing-737 flights are secure, Russia Today reported.

Rosaviatsiya had reportedly sent two requests to the FAA asking for immediate engineering fixes of the plane’s pitch control system following the deadly 2013 crash in Kazan, but it neither satisfied this demand nor proved that Boeing-737s are safe.

This move came as a surprise to Boeing as its representative in Russia and CIS countries, Elena Aleksandrova, called it absurd, according to RSN.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the ministry of transport, as well as the Russian government, will look into the situation.

The ban may pose a problem for Russian airlines as they use almost 150 Boeing-737 jets in their services.

Low-cost airline Pobeda, an Aeroflot subsidiary, reportedly  has 11 planes that are all Boeings of the 737 model. The airline, however, believes the ban will not affect its activities.

“Our jets’ operations are ensured by licenses granted by the Bermuda Islands,” the company’s representative reportedly told Interfax.

This is not the only initiative put forward by the IAC.

The committee also suggested putting all civil planes operating in Russia on the national register to prevent airlines from registering their aircraft abroad, TASS reports. “More than 95% of foreign jets used in Russia … are registered abroad – primarily in Ireland, the Bermuda Islands and Aruba,” the committee said.

Russian officials are yet to comment on the second IAC initiative.

Caption: Aeroflot's Boeing 737 jets

Photo: uk.makemefeed.com