Aeroflot has launched personnel purges in the management of Aeroflot Technics, the largest provider of aircraft maintenance in Russia, part of the Aeroflot Group. The reason for the layoffs was the company’s unsatisfactory performance. A source from among the airline’s employees told Sirena on condition of anonymity.
The layoffs included the company’s CEO Mikhail Korobovich, who had headed it since 2015, his deputy for production Yuri Udovenko, director of the HR department Yulia Chichko and head of the corporate security service Sergey Grudinov. The new CEO will be Marat Tereshchenko, who previously headed S7 Engineering from S7 Group. This appointment was confirmed by the Aeroflot press service.
The management cites the company’s low productivity as the main reason for the layoffs, due to the long periods of aircraft repairs, which often leads to flight delays. The source noted that this is due to an acute shortage of qualified personnel. The problem is exacerbated by high employee turnover: in some departments, up to 20 people quit in a few months due to low salaries and excessive workload. The situation also affects the timing of scheduled maintenance, which is often delayed.
Aeroflot Technics specializes in servicing aircraft models such as Boeing 737, 747, 777, Airbus A350, A330, A320Family and Sukhoi Superjet 100.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian aviation industry has faced large-scale sanctions: the European Union, the United States and other countries have closed the skies to Russian aircraft, and manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have stopped supplying spare parts, providing support and servicing. In these circumstances, airlines are forced to look for alternative sources of spare parts and engage in “cannibalization” of aircraft. In addition, aviation authorities have allowed exceeding the established standards for the use of parts.
All these factors have led to an increase in the number of air accidents: according to Rosaviatsia, in 2023, about 700 air incidents occurred in Russia, more than half of which were caused by technical failures.
According to estimates by the consulting company Oliver Wyman, by 2026, the Russian aircraft fleet may be reduced by more than half. In 2022, after a flight safety audit, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assigned Russia a “red flag” – a low safety rating, which, besides Russia, only three countries have: Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia.