S7 Airlines

Is S7 Airlines safe?

S7's own record is better than its reputation for fatal events suggests: its last fatal accident was the Irkutsk runway overrunRunway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary in July 2006, ASN lists no hull lossHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary since, and its two earlier disasters were a missile strike and a bombing. The concern now is the fleet's support. Since 2022 S7 has been banned from the EU on safety grounds, placed under a US export denial order and left unable to service the engines on most of its newest jets. We score it 56.

Three disasters under the Sibir name

S7 is the brand of Siberia Airlines, known as Sibir in its earlier years, and that company still holds the operating certificate.

Flight 1812, 4 October 2001. A Tu-154 flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk was hit over the Black Sea by an S-200 missile fired during a Ukrainian air-defence exercise in Crimea. All 78 on board died. MAK, the Interstate Aviation Committee, identified the missile in its report.

Flight 1047, 24 August 2004. A Tu-154 from Moscow Domodedovo to Sochi broke up after a suicide bomber detonated explosives in the cabin; 46 died. The bomber had bribed a Sibir check-in employee to get on board without screening, and a second aircraft from another airline was destroyed the same night.

Flight 778, 9 July 2006. An Airbus A310 landing at Irkutsk in rain had its left thrust reverser switched off under the minimum equipment list. During the landing roll, the captain accidentally advanced the left throttle, which retracted the spoilers and disabled autobraking. The aircraft left the runway at about 180 km/h, hit a concrete wall and garages and caught fire. 125 of the 203 people on board died. MAK said the crew had enough time to recognise what was happening.

The EU ban and the US order

The European Commission placed JSC Siberia Airlines on the EU Air Safety ListEU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary in April 2022 with 20 other Russian airlines. It found that Rosaviatsia had let them fly foreign-owned aircraft "without a valid Certificate of Airworthiness" after Russia moved leased jets onto its own register. ICAO posted a Significant Safety Concern against Russia on 15 June 2022 over the same dual registration. Siberia Airlines was still on the EU list published on 9 June 2026.

The US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a temporary denial order against Siberian Airlines, trading as S7, on 24 June 2022, after its US-origin aircraft kept flying into Russia from abroad. BIS has renewed it every six or twelve months since, most recently in December 2025 for one year, citing flights to Istanbul, Antalya, Dubai and Fergana. The order bars US-origin parts and servicing except safety-of-flight work that BIS authorises.

The A320neo problem

Sanctions hit S7 harder than Aeroflot because of one engine. All 39 of its A320neo-family jets use Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan, which needed frequent inspections even in Western fleets after a 2023 powder-metal defect. S7 cannot buy the parts or send the engines to Western shops. ch-aviation counted 23 of the 39 grounded in July 2024, when the head of Rosaviatsia said S7's neo groundings would cut Russia's passenger numbers. Kommersant counted 31 by November 2024, and expected the neo jets to start being retired from 2026.

The jets still flying are A320ceo-family aircraft, Boeing 737-800s and Embraer 170s, kept going with Russian maintenance and parts sourced without the manufacturers.

Recent incidents

• 8 December 2023, Novosibirsk. Both CFM56 engines of a 737-800 surged with bangs and flames shortly after take-off. The crew recovered normal thrust at about 600 ft and returned to land. No injuries were reported.
• June 2026. S7 barred most first officers from landing, except at four large airports, until 1 October 2026 after a series of hard landings that took aircraft out of service for inspection.
• 30 June 2026, Mirny. A 737-800 from Novosibirsk overran the runwayRunway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary in rain and stopped in mud. No injuries were reported, and the West Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office opened an inquiry.

Russian investigation reports are now hard to reach from outside, so this list is probably incomplete.

Flying S7: practical points

• Expect schedule changes. S7 cut its winter 2023–24 schedule by 10 to 15% because of the parked jets, and frequencies on some routes still change at short notice.
• Winter matters. Irkutsk, Mirny, Norilsk and other Siberian airports have long winters, short days and contaminated runways. Delays for de-icing and weather are normal.
• Pick a seat near an exit if it matters to you. The Irkutsk fire showed how much the first minutes count; know where your nearest two exits are on these 737s and A320s.

How we scored it

The accident record (80) counts only the 2006 Irkutsk crash, because the 2001 and 2004 losses were unlawful acts more than 20 years ago. Oversight (25) reflects the EU listing and ICAO's concern over Russian airworthiness, and the fleet (50) the grounded neo jets and the loss of factory support. Recent serious incidents (45) pull the score down further. See also Aeroflot.