Boeing revealed it could lose a significant number of orders due to geopolitical issues as the company announced it had removed 141 jets from its backlog. Of those jets, Boeing said about 90 were removed due to the issues caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The removal of jets from the backlog doesn’t signal that the order is no longer going ahead but is often used to signal financial problems with a deal. The placing of these jets into accounting limbo is likely due to the wide-ranging sanctions placed on Russia by the US and its allies after the country invaded neighboring Ukraine.

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Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Who will lose out on aircraft?

Boeing has not revealed which customers have had their orders affected, but it is likely to be Russian-linked airlines that are hit the hardest. The manufacturer has received orders for 86 planes from Russian companies in the past ten years and recently revealed that it had 34 undelivered planes bound for Russian Carriers.

These were for Utair and Volga-Dnepr. The company also has seven aircraft for Ukraine’s SkyUp Airlines that it has been unable to deliver to date. The manufacturer will also feel the sting of US sanctions in the form of lost cash as airlines typically pay a significant part of an aircraft’s cost upon its delivery.

Boeing is not the only company that has had to withhold deliveries from Russia. Airbus was recently forced to cancel two A350 orders for Aeroflot due to sanctions on Russia.

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Airbus has also been unable to deliver previous orders to Russian carriers. Photo: Arran Rice | Simple Flying

What effects have sanctions had on Russian aviation?

Sanctions by multiple countries have not just prevented deliveries to Russia of new jets but have reduced the nation’s carrier’s existing fleet. The country’s air carriers have lost 79 of their commercial jets, almost 10% of their entire fleet.

This is mainly due to sanctions requiring international plane leasing companies to repossess their aircraft. This has been done with many aircraft that were located outside of Russia at the time.

However, in response to this, Moscow has ‘nationalized’ planes within Russia that belonged to air leasing companies, making it unclear how these companies will be able to recoup their aircraft. Western aircraft makers like Boeing and Airbus are also unable to send spare parts to Russian air carriers.

Russia has hinted that it will attempt to service those planes internally, but without new deliveries, it is unknown how long Western-made jets will be able to continue flying without incident in Russia.

It is not likely many Russian aircraft will need to leave Russian airspace, as airspace bans have been imposed by a significant number of countries on Russian and Belarusian airliners. The US, EU, UK, Switzerland, and Canada are amongst the countries that have banned Russian flights.

The sanctions came after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. Since the invasion began, The UN OHCHR has said at least 1,892 civilians have been killed, with 2,558 injured. The true number is likely to be much higher.

What do you think of the sanctions imposed on Russia? Let us know in the comments below.