US Sanctions Might Disrupt Russian SSJ100 Aircraft's Components Supply - German Supplier

US sanctions against Russia could prevent Germany from supplying components for the former's Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) passenger aircraft in the future, the vice president of the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) and the managing director of Liebherr-Aerospace, Arndt Schoenemann, told Sputnik on Wednesday

ZHUKOVSKY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2019) US sanctions against Russia could prevent Germany from supplying components for the former's Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) passenger aircraft in the future, the vice president of the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) and the managing director of Liebherr-Aerospace, Arndt Schoenemann, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"I think this really is a problem. At the moment, we, as a company from Germany, are not affected by the sanctions and continue to supply our components to the Russian aircraft industry. But we believe that if the sanctions war continues, it could subsequently affect us, too," Schoenemann said, commenting on the possible aftermath of the latest US sanctions targeting Russia.

Washington's second round of sanctions connected with the March 2018 poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom took effect on Monday. President Donald Trump signed off on the sanctions on August 2 under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act. The new measures will place certain trade restrictions on Russia, but it is unclear what goods and services will be affected.

Schoenemann went on to add that while European producers of aircraft parts had not yet experienced problems with working with Russia, US-based suppliers of SSJ100 components had experienced difficulties.

"Now, in Europe, we have no problems related to this, but we know that the SSJ also has components from American suppliers, who are already experiencing difficulties," the head of Liebherr-Aerospace, which makes components for the SSJ100, said on the sidelines of the ongoing MAKS-2019 air show outside Moscow.

According to Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company President Alexander Rubtsov, 22 percent of the components in SSJ100s were US-made as of November.

Having more than 10 percent of US-made components creates a problem with supplies to a number of countries, because of the requirement that aircraft sales be coordinated with US authorities that issue export licenses. To avoid this, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade plans a complete import substitution of the aircraft components, something it has already begun working on. The technical tasks are expected to be approved in the first half of 2020.

This year's edition of MAKS international aviation and space salon began on Tuesday and will run through Sunday. The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency is an official media partner of the event.