Published: 11/21/1997

In the first nine months of 1997 there were seven catastrophes with Russian-registered civil aircraft in which 50 passengers and 16 crew were killed. The accidents involved one An-24, one An-2 and five helicopters. The Federal Aviation Service (FAS) says that the level of flight safety in Russia remains higher than the ICAO average. The Service has developed a programme of measures on increasing flight safety up to the year 2000. There are three major points on which the programme is focused: charter flights abroad, Mi-8 helicopters and corrosion. The FAS says that the practice of regular inspections being carried out by the US FAA in Russia have proved useful for both sides. It was initiated three years ago after the US government had expressed a concern about the ability of numerous Russian air companies to provide an adequate level of flight safety. Now ICAO, the FAS and FAA are considering using this experience in world-wide practice. As a step in "globalising" the matter of flight safety, the FAS has offered ICAO the right to perform its own inspection of Russian civil aviation.(IN1197.1) (VK)

Article ID: 75