Source: Russia’s Aeroflot cancels flights over SSJ100 malfunction

MOSCOW, Dec 26 (PRIME) -- Russian national flag carrier Aeroflot has cancelled an array of internal flights due to suspension of six Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes over malfunction, a source in the aviation industry told PRIME on December 24.

“A defect was found in stabilizers of the SSJ100 planes, this is why the Federal Air Transport Agency suspended operations of six SSJ100 planes of Aeroflot and one SSJ100 plane of IrAero,” the source said, adding that the suspension forced Aeroflot to cancel several domestic flights.

But a representative of SSJ100’s producer Sukhoi Civil Aircraft told PRIME on December 25 that the defect cannot be called critical. “The corresponding block has a multi-level system of reservation. The design insured a high degree of safety margin that significantly exceeds the exploitation stress,” the person said.

The company has set up a check of SSJ100 planes, and issued a technical solution for maintaining flight worthiness of the planes. If the company finds the defect, it will swiftly be eliminated, and the company has resources for that, the representative said.

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