Many Soviet An-24 turboprop aircraft are not operating at full capacity in Russia because they lack spare parts. Access to them has been complicated by Western sanctions, said national security expert Harrison Kass in an article for The National Interest.
The An-24 is still used for regional transportation. The main operators are Russia, Central Asia, and Africa. On the one hand, it is a "workhorse" for airlines serving remote areas, and on the other hand, it is a problematic aircraft.
Since its introduction, there have been about 160 aviation incidents, including those with casualties. Many of the An-24s that fly in Russia are 40 to 60 years old.
Metal fatigue, outdated avionics, and probable system failures are explained by the age of the aircraft. Moreover, the expert emphasizes that the An-24 flies in the harsh conditions of Siberia and the Far East. Bad weather and limited radar coverage are prerequisites for possible disasters.
The An-24 is exceptionally durable, but it lacks modern safety systems, including a ground proximity warning system or a fly-by-wire system (commands from the controls are transmitted to the actuators not directly, but through electronic signals).
Kass, like many of his colleagues, believes that the An-24 should have been decommissioned long ago.
Read also on the topic:
Half-Century-Old An-24 Crashed in Amur Region
Il-114-300, "Baikals" and TVRS-44 Will Not Wait: USSR Legends An-24 Returned to Russian Airlines
Another An-24 Aircraft Landed "Hard": How Civil Aviation Is Aging in Russia
