As many as 22 Russian SSJ-100 aircraft continue to remain parked at Toluca Airport in Mexico several years after Interjet airline ceased operations. Today, their future remains uncertain.
After the airline's bankruptcy in 2020, the aircraft were stored at Toluca Airport, located at an altitude of about 2700 meters above sea level. High solar activity, seasonal precipitation, and prolonged downtime led to the gradual degradation of the equipment.
Oleg Evdokimov, President of ATEO Air, explained that the reasons for what happened were not related to the aircraft's design.
The problem was not with the aircraft. The problem was with personnel decisions and the quality of program management. The main problem of the SSJ-100 in Mexico was in the sphere of management, operational organization, and regulation.
Recall that Interjet ordered 30 SSJ-100 aircraft in 2011, hoping to get a more affordable alternative to regional Embraer and Bombardier airliners.
Ultimately, the airline received 22 aircraft, which operated flights within the country, as well as flew to the USA, Cuba, and other Latin American countries.
Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR and member of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor, told "Pervy Tekhnichesky" how former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi influenced the fate of the Sukhoi Superjet 100.