Russian Lawmakers Approve PMA Parts Certification

Russian lawmakers have legalized the installation of Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) spare parts on the Russian commercial fleet, with the country’s airlines still without access to OEM products and services.

On Feb. 13, the State Duma approved in the first reading a draft amendment to the national air code that will entitle the aviation authority to certify alternative spare parts and components for aircraft, engines and aircraft propellers.

The primary goal of this initiative is to develop domestic production of alternative components, which could replace original spare parts on Russian carriers’ foreign-made airliners, said Sen. Andrey Shokhin, one of the authors of the proposals. The new legislation already had the support of the Russian government. The certification procedure and requirements for alternative parts are expected to be detailed for the second reading in a month.

According to Shokhin, the legalization of nonoriginal spare parts can attract new manufacturers to this industry. He mentioned Rubin Aviation Corp., which could start the production of brakes for Boeing aircraft. This manufacturer from Balashikha, near Moscow, has already certified its disk brakes to replace the Goodrich product on the in-service Superjet 100 fleet.

Deliveries of aircraft spare parts and maintenance services to Moscow were banned by the West in March 2022, leaving the Russian-operated fleet of more than 600 foreign-made commercial aircraft with no support from OEMs. However, Russia’s air transport industry has found alternative supplies from friendly nations that do not follow the sanctions.

The country’s industry has also launched attempts to manufacture some critical components. S7 Airlines, Rosatom and IKAR Engineering Center, the former Airbus joint venture in Russia, have all begun supplying components for the local market through reverse engineering.