The Russian business aviation market, after the possible lifting of sanctions, may not return to the 2022 model. Aviation blogger SkyExpert noted that for owners of Gulfstream, Global, and other foreign business jets, it will not be enough to simply wait for Western service centers to open: some aircraft have already been transferred to the Russian registry, and the work performed over four years still needs to be recognized by foreign aviation authorities.
At the same time, according to his assessment, the future Russian business aviation fleet will gradually shift towards domestic aircraft – Tu-214, SJ-100, and MC-21.
Over four years, Russian MRO centers have sharply expanded their capabilities. JetPort Technics reported that after the introduction of restrictions, they received certificates for basic maintenance of more than 20 business jet models, although initially they did not have the necessary resources, equipment, and competencies.
Now domestic providers are ready to compete for owners even after the possible return of Western companies.
The main obstacle remains the technical history of the aircraft. Over the years of restrictions, aircraft were serviced in Russia, various works and modifications were performed on them, so Western authorities will have to decide whether to recognize Russian registration and the MRO performed.
At the same time, the cost of maintenance within the country remains high: the man-hour is comparable to foreign rates, but components and spare parts can be three to four times more expensive, and some parts have to be custom-made.
Against this background, SkyExpert's conclusion goes beyond the dispute about the place of servicing foreign aircraft. According to his assessment, the number of owners capable of switching to a full-fledged domestic business jet will be limited, but Russian business aviation is getting other options: the Tu-214 already exists in a business version, the SJ-100 should become an import-substituted platform, and the MC-21 is capable of serving a more mass corporate segment.