Russian Federal Air Transport Agency head says Western-made planes will be safe until 2030 despite sanctions

Russian Federal Air Transport Agency head Alexander Neradko said Wednesday that Boeing and Airbus planes operated by Russian airlines will “safely be able to fly” until 2030 if properly maintained, according to RBC. He assured Russians that anti-war sanctions, including rules against Western aircraft manufacturers providing maintenance and spare parts to Russia airlines, have not made flying in Russia more dangerous.

Neradko also discouraged people from using the term “cannibalization” to refer to the practice of replacing dysfunctional parts of an aircraft with parts from other, out-of-service aircraft. “This term arose because of people who have never worked in commercial aviation and who don’t know that the transfer of serviceable spare parts has been practiced forever and everywhere, including in the Soviet Union,” he said.