While small airlines around the world are struggling with the sudden spike in jet fuel prices, the aviation industry in Russia is in a particularly poor state after the military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to airspace bans, Western sanctions, and inability to access foreign plane parts for repairs of aging aircraft.
In July 2026, Russian regional airline Izhavia had its air operator certificate (AOC) revoked by the country’s aviation regulatory agency after the carrier flying to the remote Udmurtia region failed a safety audit over multiple broken or uncertified plane parts.
This week, Siberian carrier Yakutia also suspended all local flights after the only remaining De Havilland Canada DHC-8 turboprop airliner in its fleet was grounded for similar reasons as the country is unable to access numerous landing gear parts.
Yakutia stops ticket sales amid grounded planes, poor state of Russian aviation
Air Company Yakutia was founded in 2002 to serve the remote Sakha republic and Yakutsk capital in the country’s Far East and operated a mixed fleet of regional turboprop airliners and Boeing 757 jets.
At the start of 2025, Yakutia was among the 30 mid- and small-scale airlines in the country named to be at a “burnout point” and immediate risk of bankruptcy over both a lack of foreign parts and inability to bring in traveler numbers to a point seen before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Related: Ukrainian airline starts flying for first time since invasion
The carrier’s last operational turboprop airliner known as both the Dash 8 and Bombardier Q300 (it was originally built as the De Havilland Canada DHC-8 in 1989 but passed through both Boeing and Bombardier in the following decades) was grounded as Yakutia waits to replace a broken strut on its right-hand landing gear.
As first reported by Flight Global, the local Ust-Nera Airport (USR) was also forced to suspend operations after “multiple issues” over runways that deteriorated to the point of being unsafe for takeoff and landing.
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What is the state of Russia’s aviation industry in 2026
Regional authorities are unable to find replacement parts without access to foreign products or domestic alternatives that are advanced enough to land on unpaved runways.
This significantly limits the availability of air service to the remote and geographically vast Sakha republic. Prior to the war, Yakutia ran a peak 55 routes both within Russia and to some international destinations.
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Airlines that lost their licenses in 2026:
- Izhavia: Russian regional airline Izhavia had its AOC revoked by the country’s aviation regulatory agency in July 2026 as Western sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine left the country’s aviation industry crippled by lack of Western parts and lowered ability to ensure maintenance standards.
- Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba: The Caribbean branch of the African charter airline Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba lost its AOC in May 2026. The Aruban branch was established in 2017 to run flights between the Caribbean countries of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
- Starflite Aviation: Houston-based Starflite Aviation had its AOC license revoked in March 2026, amid FAA claims that owners falsified pilot training records to bypass safety audits.
- AlpAvia: Slovenian charter airline AlpAvia also shut down in March 2026 over a long string of financial problems and a revoked AOC.
Related: Another airline cancels almost all U.S. flights due to low demand