Aeroflot’s Airbus A330 aircraft, which was sent to Iran for maintenance earlier this year, will be delayed by nearly a year before returning to Russia. The originally scheduled return date from Tehran for the wide-body Airbus A330 with registration number RA-73700 has recently been pushed back by six months, from late September to early March 2024.
This particular aircraft embarked on its journey to Iran for maintenance on April 5. It is currently being serviced by experts from Iran’s largest carrier, Mahan Air. The maintenance of the Airbus A330 encompasses a wide range of tasks, as previously stated by Aeroflot.
The maintenance plan includes a 1C check (18-month), a 2C check (three-year), a 4C check (six-year), and an 8C check (12-year). Additionally, chassis strut servicing and various unscheduled maintenance tasks are scheduled.
In a recent interview with “Vedomosti,” Aeroflot’s CEO, Sergey Alexandrovskiy, referred to sending the aircraft to Iran for maintenance as a “trial step.”
“We need to explore alternative markets for aircraft maintenance services to have options when our own capabilities are limited, such as during the peak season of maintenance work. These are additional resources,” he explained.
The CEO of the national carrier also noted that Aeroflot is satisfied with the quality of maintenance work in Iran, but the timeline is less than ideal. “But in terms of timing, let’s put it this way: the contractors are not in a hurry,” Sergey Alexandrovskiy commented.
This experience highlights the importance of exploring alternative options for aircraft maintenance to ensure the reliability and availability of the airline’s fleet during periods of high demand for maintenance services.
