SJI Challenges Reports of Interjet Fleet Woes

Superjet International (SJI) is disputing the essence of reports that four Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100s sit stranded in maintenance hangars at the Mexico City base of Western launch operator Interjet, while crews “cannibalize” the idle airplanes for parts to keep the remaining 18 in the fleet flying. Speaking with AIN from Superjet International’s offices in Venice, Italy, SJI senior vice president commercial Stewart Cordner didn’t deny that Interjet has suffered some engine overhaul delays, but he characterized its “challenges” as not particularly unusual for a relatively young fleet that operates nine to 10 sectors a day.

Of the four airplanes in question, explained Cordner, the airline always cycles at least one out of service for regular maintenance. Meanwhile, another airplane involved in a ground accident in late 2015 remains out of service as crews finally prepare to replace its nose. The remaining two airplanes, he said, await engine work performed at the Rybinsk production plant in Russia. Cordner said he expects NPO Saturn—one of the partners in the Powerjet joint venture with France’s Snecma—to finish the work and deliver the last of the SaM146 engines undergoing overhaul by the end of March.

As the largest SSJ operator outside Russia and the only one in the Americas, Interjet stands as a particularly important customer for Sukhoi and SJI, which, as the SSJ100 program partner responsible for Western marketing, sales, and support, feels a particular sensitivity over perceptions about Interjet’s experience with the airplanes.

“Because we have only one customer [in the Americas], we’re really sensitive to it,” admitted Cordner. “We are extremely sensitive in that we’re trying to build some competition in the world.”

Cordner particularly took issue with a suggestion that the delay in returning airplanes to service resulted in part from the fact that Sukhoi did not maintain a repair facility in Latin America. “They say there’s no maintenance facility in Latin America; well, we’d better bring all the airplanes back then because who’s doing the maintenance?” he asked rhetorically. “Let me tell you where the maintenance facility is...it’s not in Latin America, it’s better than that. It’s in Mexico. It’s Interjet. They do all the maintenance on the airplanes.”

Cordner also scoffed at the use of the term “cannibalized” to describe a practice commonly called “parts robbing.” In aviation parlance, cannibalize means the process of stripping parts from the airplanes to leave them for scrap, as opposed to borrowing parts temporarily.    

“In my world ‘cannibalism’ is a word used to [connote robbing] parts from something that’s never going to fly again, that it’s scrap,” he explained. “That is so far from the truth. A parts-robbing process is a normal, legitimate, everyday way that airlines around the world work.”

As for the work on the SaM146 turbofans still in process in Rybinsk, Cordner said that Powerjet advised SJI it would have one of the two airplanes grounded for engine overhaul ready to fly by Friday. In a written statement sent to AIN, Powerjet reported that it anticipated Interjet’s maintenance needs and that it would address any outstanding “issues” in due course.

“Like all new engines, the SaM146 has faced a few teething issues for which solutions have been identified and are being deployed,” it said. “Some...additional technical support might be temporarily needed to continue to improve the engine quality as part of our continuous efforts to ensure customer satisfaction. 

“PowerJet and Interjet have anticipated this situation. A flight-hour-support agreement has been offered and signed to secure the full SaM146 engine fleet’s availability and to enable Interjet to optimize the maintenance costs.”

Cordner noted that, in fact, Interjet’s SSJ100s have achieved “good maintenance numbers,” as have their engines, and that the airline itself plans for any delays resulting from ordering a mix of AOG and non-AOG parts in an effort to manage support costs.

“Can we do a little bit better on spare parts? Sure. Can we supply engines a little bit quicker? Probably,” acknowledged Cordner. “But there’s always going to be a compromise.”