Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) has revoked the Air Operator's Certificates (AOC) of two local carriers for gross safety violations of Russian Federal Aviation Regulations (RFAR).
Concerning Buryat Airlines (Ulan-Ude), the regulator said the carrier had carried out commercial passenger flights using an An-24RV and a Mil Helicopter 8TV whose engines had both surpassed their stipulated life cycles. This, Rosaviatsia said, was a gross violation of the norms of airworthiness whose consequences could have caused a serious accident. As a result and in accordance with RFARs, the carrier's AOC was canceled effective February 7.
Buryat Airlines had operated one An-24RV and two Mi-8Ts on scheduled and chartered passenger flights throughout eastern Siberia with plans lease a pair of SSJ 100/95s - RA-89004 (msn 95012) and RA-89007 (msn 95015) - from GTLK - State Transport Leasing. The Siberian carrier is majority owned by Moscow businessman Alexei Popov (70%) with the remainder owned by local Ulan-Ude based firm, Chinggis JSC.
Concerning Pioneer Regional Airlines (Makhachkala), the regulator said it had violated RFARs when it leased in aircraft from other carriers whose type was not specified in its own AOC. Among those aircraft was the defective An-24RV from Buryat Airlines, it said. As such Pioneer's AOC was revoked effective February 7.
Formerly Aeroservis Makhachkala (Makhachkala), Pioneer Regional Airlines had operated five An-24RVs (of which only three were airworthy) on regular flights throughout Dagestan. In March, it planned to team up with Buryat Airlines to offer flights from Ulan Ude to Taksimo, Lensk, Nizhneangarsk, and Bodaybo and between Taksimo, Nizhneangarsk, Irkutsk International and Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo.
