Defying Sanctions: Russia’s S7 Masters Overhauling of Airbus and Boeing Engines

The A320neo and Boeing 737NG families currently make up the primary narrow-body civil aircraft fleet in the Russian Federation.

Russia's S7 Technics engineering company has embarked on a comprehensive overhaul of engines installed on Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 passenger jets, which are commonly used by Russian air carriers. This complex type of maintenance is aimed at enhancing the performance and reliability of these aircraft, sources told the Kommersant daily.

Western sanctions prevented the air carriers from transporting the CFM56-5B and 7B engines abroad for repairs, prompting them to purchase used equipment, according to the sources.

Although some types of overhaul have traditionally been carried out in Russia, the most complex work related to restoration of the engines’ hot sections has not been mastered before.

S7 Technics confirmed that its engineers have already completed 12 overhauls of CFM56-5B’s and 7B’s hot sections in the company’s workshop at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow.

A hot section refers to the portion of a gas turbine engine that operates at high temperatures. It includes the combustion, turbine, and exhaust parts.

In total, there are about 800 CFM56 engines in Russia, with the Aeroflot air carrier remaining the key customer.

Western countries imposed a whole slew of crippling sanctions on various sectors of the Russian economy shortly after the beginning of Moscow’s special military operation. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the situation with the economy was stable and sustainable, and that the country had overcome all the sanctions­-related problems, moving on to "the next stage of development."