Some Mexican Sukhoi jets to be phased out by 2021

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Mexico’s Interjet to restructure fleet, phase out some SSJ100s

Sep 17, 2018

Mexican LCC Interjet Airlines,
the only operator of Sukhoi Superjets in the Americas,
is planning to phase out some of its 22 Superjet 100s
as part of a fleet restructuring and overall strategic growth plan through 2021 announced Sept. 14.

The airline did not elaborate on how many of its 22 SSJ100s will go,
but left the door open for continued use of the model,
which it has operated since 2013.

Interjet still has four SSJ100s on order, two of which are built already.

In its statement,
Interjet said it will phase out some SSJs
“with an opportunity for delivery of next-generation Superjet 100 aircraft for future use
in markets where these aircraft make operational and economic sense.”

To cement its commitment to continue flying SSJs,
the airline said it is installing an SSJ100 flight simulator in its Toluca, Mexico training center
“and will have quick access to an enhanced spare parts inventory in Mexico City.”

In late 2016,
Interjet grounded half of its SSJ100 fleet to have Sukhoi technical teams repair technical problems with a stabilizer node,
part of a worldwide inspection and repair sequence Sukhoi initiated
following its identification of a minor fault in the tail stabilizer of an SSJ100.

Following the repair, Interjet’s SSJs returned to service in mid-January 2017.

The remainder of Interjet’s fleet are all Airbus A320s,
with 47 A320ceos, six A321ceos, three A320neos and seven A321neos.

“While this fleet has served us well, as our international business continues to grow,
we need to be sure we have enough of the right type of aircraft
to sustain this growth and meet the increasing demands
of international airports such as Mexico City
with reduced operating windows and available slot times,”
Interjet CEO José Luis Garza said.

To that end, Garza indicated Interjet will be adding 20 more A320neos to be delivered over the next five years,
on top of the company’s existing order for 35 A320neos.

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Why Interjet Is Paying For Aircraft It No Longer Operates

Update: 16/01/20 @ 21:40 UTC – Interjet confirmed is moving on to an Airbus-based fleet

The 2012 purchase of 22 Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) constrains the Mexican carrier Interjet even today.

As of January 2020, only four of these aircrafts are used commercially but the airline still pays for all of them.
The company parked the others inside Toluca International Airport, some of them cannibalized.

Both Interjet and the manufacturer, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC), are very secretive with the development of this story.
Nevertheless, something is clear: Interjet is trying to get rid of the SSJ100 fleet.

Even though Interjet is the third most important airline in the Mexican market, the company is in great debt.
Sukhoi told us that the carrier has difficulties
paying “to banks, export credit agencies and suppliers within SSJ100 Program, including SCAC”.

Interjet is a low-cost carrier.
That means it deeply relies on having a complete operating fleet.
As Volaris, one of the main competitors of Interjet, once said:
the maintenance for the aircrafts has to be as quick and safe as possible or else, we’re losing money.

Interjet is far from this goal.
By January 2020, the carrier operates only four of 22 SSJ100
(although the number increases to seven, depending on the season and the workload of the airline).

The Sukhoi is a good airplane as the ones made by Airbus or Boeing.
It just has one problem: the maintenance.
As we’ve stated before, Russia is where the aftermarket support ends.
Interjet is far far away from a spare part when the airline needed one.

As Mexican journalist Andrea Navarro stated, flying a SSJ100 is like driving a Hummer through the desert:
for a while, you’ll be fine
but someday you’ll need a spare piece and a working hand to help you fix your vehicle and
then is when the problems start, big way.
Specially if the nearest help is across the Atlantic Ocean.

Originally, each of the Sukhoi units costed 31.7 million USD to the carrier.
The offers by Embraer and Bombardier were three times higher.

At the time, the decision seemed wise.
The oulook changed when the mechanical issues started.
Like in 2015 when the carrier lost one of the airplanes due to an accident in Mexico City (without casualties, fortunately).

Interjet complained of the after-sales service.
As a result, Sukhoi took additional measures to help the Mexican carrier,
“including purchase of spares on the conditions for Interjet, aiming to provide maintenance of the airworthiness of the aircraft”.

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