Transportation officials promised to take drastic steps if they find flagrant violations.
Photo: Olga Vasilkova
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Russia Checks Foreign-Made Jets
Russia’s transport watchdog is inspecting airlines which use foreign-made jets. Checks at Aeroflot, Pulkovo Airlines, Transaero, KrasAir and VIM-Avia have been launched after an A310 of Sibir Airlines crashed in Irkutsk last month. The probe at Sibir finished a couple of days ago, finding a number of errors in operation and technical servicing of the planes. The airline was given one month to solve the problems. Should the company fail, it will lose its license.
The Russian Transport Supervision Service has launched inspections at all Russian airlines which operate foreign-made jets. Apparently, the decision was taken after Sibir’s A310 plane crashed in Irkutsk July 9, killing 127 people.
The checks are to be held at Russia’s all major airlines. Transportation officials promised to “take drastic steps if they see flagrant violations.”
The first check finished a few days ago. A special inspection group was sen to Sibir in the wake of the A310 jet crash. Unofficial sources say the inspection found a number of violations of aviation rules in operating and servicing planes. The violations are not critical, though, the sources said.
Sibir said that it had been given a warning, and it would have to settle the problems by September 21. Otherwise, the company may be stripped of an airline license. This measure, however, has never been taken against any Russian airline so far.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 25, 2006
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