Main and reserve Boeing planes are out of order: Russian airline cannot pick up passengers from Dubai 

This was reported by the Russian Aviatorshchyna Telegram channel.

The passengers of flight DP992 Dubai-Moscow (Vnukovo) were supposed to take off yesterday, on February 13, at 3:20 pm. However, their Boeing 737-800 arrived at Al Maktoum Airport on a flight from Moscow late - at 5:22 pm.

In the process of preparing the aircraft for departure, a loss of airtightness of the nose landing gear and a leak of hydraulic fluid were detected.

As a result, the plane was unable to bring the passengers to Moscow, and after numerous delays, they were accommodated in a hotel.

The Baza Telegram channel, citing passengers, reports that the airline provided food and water only five hours later. After some time, the passengers were offered to stay at a hotel, as the flight was postponed again. It was already in the morning. The hotel turned out to be 70 km from the airport, and they had to pay for a taxi at their own expense.

Last night, the airline sent a backup plane to Dubai, also a Boeing, to pick up the passengers who hadn't taken off. But it was also stuck in Al Maktoum – after the plane took off on the runway, an electrical system malfunction alarm went off.

Baza notes that people were not allowed out of the cabin with the air conditioning off for a long time – one of the passengers felt unwell because of the stuffiness. A day after the first scheduled flight, the passengers were returned to the airport. Some of the passengers decided not to wait – the airline refunded their money, and they bought tickets for other airlines.

The company explained the delay in departure by the malfunction of two planes, including the backup one, adding that the passengers were provided with hot meals, soft drinks, and hotel accommodation. The company promised to inform them of the departure time via text message.

• Tough sanctions were imposed on Russia’s airline industry in 2022: most of the world's countries closed their skies to them, and lessors, mainly from Ireland and Bermuda, demanded that all aircraft be returned to their owners. These aircraft were also stripped of their flight safety certificates. Russia is trying to circumvent the restrictions and is actually starting to seize the aircraft. They are also hastily re-registering them in their database. However, this does not eliminate the impact of sanctions. So, at the moment, Russian airlines can only fly domestically and to a few "friendly" countries, and only as long as the aircraft are in good technical condition, since foreign companies will not supply them with repairs or spare parts. Leading aircraft manufacturers also joined the sanctions.

• On September 14, the ICAO issued a "red flag" to Russia, indicating serious problems in civil aviation safety.

• On October 1, Russia was not re-elected as a member of the governing council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) at the UN, and on October 4, it was finally expelled from the governing bodies of this most powerful structure in the industry.

• At the end of 2022, incidents with passenger aircraft became more frequent in Russia. Sanctions have led to numerous breakdowns and accidents involving passenger aircraft in Russia. At the same time, the Russian aviation authorities are proposing to extend the service life of aircraft by reducing the number of serviceability and safety checks.