Counterfeit Airplane Parts Jeopardize Flight Safety in Russia

Illegally imported fake airplane parts pose a great threat to flight safety in Russia on both military and commercial aircraft, reports The St. Petersburg Times of November 2, 2010.

An inspection of 60,000 aircraft parts revealed about 14,500 counterfeits, stated Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, citing the Ministry of Transport statistics.

Ivanov added that in 2009 and 2010 the Federal Customs Service filed 19 criminal charges and more than 300 misdemeanor charges related to the import of airplane parts.

Most of the counterfeit parts enter Russia from former Soviet republics, stated Ivanov, mentioning Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia as the main transit points for the parts produced in underdeveloped countries. He added that the CIS countries are also producers of many counterfeit parts for the aviation industry.

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Source: The St. Petersburg Times, twice-weekly English-language newspaper, based in St. Petersburg, Russia