--- title: "South Africa in talks with Russian airline over SA-Moscow flight route — Swiss journal" description: "However, the plans are at risk because Nordwind Airlines is sanctioned by the US and the European Union, which has raised questions about the safety of its Boeing and Airbus fleets." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "AVIATION POLITICS" author: "Peter Fabricius" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/peterfabricius/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-02-08-south-africa-in-talks-with-russian-airline-over-sa-moscow-flight-route-swiss-journal/" published: "2023-02-08T22:58:48" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 698 --- # South Africa in talks with Russian airline over SA-Moscow flight route — Swiss journal > However, the plans are at risk because Nordwind Airlines is sanctioned by the US and the European Union, which has raised questions about the safety of its Boeing and Airbus fleets. By Peter Fabricius · Published 9 February 2023, 00:58 SAST ## Key points - South African authorities are discussing with Russian airline Nordwind Airlines the potential for launching direct flights from Moscow to Johannesburg and Cape Town. Although the plans have raised questions about the safety of its fleet, due to US and EU sanctions, South Africa's Department of Transport has not yet received an application from Nordwind. The US Bureau of Industry and Security has ordered companies to avoid doing business with Nordwind, citing significant violations of export bans to Russia. EASA has also expressed serious concerns about the maintenance and training of pilots and engineers on Western-built aircraft in Russia. It remains unclear whether South Africa is still in talks with Nordwind about launching the South African route. - South Africa is in talks with Russian carrier Nordwind Airlines to launch direct flights from Moscow to Johannesburg and Cape Town - The plans are at risk due to US and EU sanctions against Nordwind, raising questions about the safety of its Boeing and Airbus fleets - South African Department of Transport has not yet received an application from Nordwind, but US and EU sanctions prohibit the export of aircraft, spare parts and other safety-critical equipment to Russian airlines - EASA is 'seriously concerned' about the safety situation of Western-built fleets in Russia due to lack of access to spare parts and maintenance support ## Content South Africa is talking to the Russian carrier Nordwind Airlines about launching direct flights from Moscow to Johannesburg and to Cape Town, according to a Swiss aviation journal. But the plans are at risk because Nordwind is sanctioned by the US and the European Union, which has raised questions about the safety of its Boeing and Airbus fleets, [according to the aviation industry publication](https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/123949-russias-nordwind-plans-direct-flights-to-south-africa)*ch-aviation*. The journal said late last month that South Africa’s ambassador to Russia, Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka, told the Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik that Pretoria was waiting for Nordwind’s decision on whether it intended to fly the SA route. Sputnik said he told them the aim was to launch four non-stop flights a week, including one to Cape Town to boost Russian tourism. “Our transport department discussed Aeroflot flights with the Russian transport ministry, then we were informed that it had been decided that it would be Nordwind,” Maqetuka was quoted as telling *ch-aviation*. The South African Department of Transport told *Daily Maverick* on Wednesday: “The National Department of Transport has not received any application from Nordwind to start a Russia-South Africa route. Should Nordwind submit such an application, normal processes would be followed.” However, the department did not respond to the question of whether South Africa was still, or had been, in talks with Nordwind about launching the South African route. The SA Civil Aviation Authority and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation both referred all queries to the Department of Transport, which they said was the correct authority to issue licences for foreign airlines to fly into South Africa. *ch-aviation* also reported that plans to establish direct flights from Russia to South Africa before the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg in late July were disclosed by Oleg Ozerov, Russia’s ambassador-at-large and head of the Russia-Africa partnership forum. It said Sputnik and fellow Russian news agency Tass had both reported on this. The journal said that before commencing the South African route, Nordwind or any other Russian operator would have to demonstrate to the South African Civil Aviation Authority that its aircraft were airworthy and being maintained to the latest service bulletins issued by manufacturers — in Nordwind’s case, Airbus and Boeing — and mandatory airworthiness directives published, in this case by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration. --- **Visit [*Daily Maverick's* home page](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=in_article_link&utm_campaign=homepage) for more news, analysis and investigations** --- The journal noted that EU and US sanctions targeting Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine prohibit the export of aircraft, spare parts and other safety-critical equipment to Russian airlines as well as the provision of technical support, including maintenance data, air navigation database updates and flight training. “Nordwind is subject to the ban, meaning it does not have access to the latest maintenance revisions and, therefore, will not be allowed to fly to South Africa, a well-informed source at the regulator told *ch-aviation*.” The journal said Nordwind was already operating its A330-200s, A330-300s, B777-200(ER)s, and B777-300(ER) on other routes in violation of the US and EU export bans to Russia of aircraft or spare parts. “According to the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Nordwind’s ‘violations have been significant, deliberate and covert’. “\[The\] BIS has ordered companies and individuals in the US and abroad to ‘avoid dealing with Nordwind, in connection with export and re-export transactions involving items subject to the regulations and in connection with any other activity subject to the regulations’. “In December 2022, the BIS said that Nordwind continued to fly aircraft into Russia in violation of the US export ban, including flights from Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, and Bokhtar, Tajikistan. “A Boeing spokesperson confirmed that the company in early 2022 had suspended providing parts, maintenance, and technical support for customers and maintenance service providers in Russia. “An EASA spokesperson said the European regulator was ‘seriously concerned about the safety situation of the Western-built fleet in Russia’. “In light of the ban on access to spare parts and maintenance support, the EASA had ‘serious safety concerns on how those aircraft are being maintained and how the pilots and the engineers are trained,’” *ch-aviation* said. **DM**