Residents of Dagestan discuss technical condition of local aircrafts

The crash of the aircraft of "Dagestani Airlines" on December 4 is actively discussed on local blogs and forums. Dagestani Internet users note that they would prefer to fly by aircraft of other airlines, but this is not possible.

"They've spent huge money on re-branding, but the quality is the same," the blogger under the nickname proxodimez writes (since 2010 the "Dagestani Airlines" changed the name into the "South-East Airlines", - note of the "Caucasian Knot").

According to Ruslan Gasanov, a human rights defender from Dagestan, every boss and every inhabitant in the republic know that "Dagestani Airlines" are trying at any cost, even at the cost of human lives, to squeeze profits out of their crafts."

"They fuel their aircrafts with suspicious kerosene, buy knowingly counterfeit, cheap spare parts made by artisans, the money allotted for repairs is stolen, all certificates are signed for bribes, while passengers fly standing between the rows of seats like in a bus during rush hour," Mr Gasanov said on air of the "Echo Moskvy" Radio.

According to the test pilot, Hero of Russia Magomed Tolboev, the main problem of the Russian aviation is in undue economy. "They don't install new engines and new equipment to aircrafts - just to save money. If the craft's resource is out, it should be removed from flights. However, they do just the opposite: they use to the very end, although the aircraft has multiply paid back," Mr Tolboev said.

He gave other examples of safety rules violations in operating aircrafts: "For example, the Tu-154 has 10 emergency exits - 5 on the right- and 5 on the left-hand sides. But they block them with seats - getting 20 extra seats per aircraft. They get extra, unaccounted money for the tickets to these seats. And in the event of an accident - how can passengers get evacuated through these emergency exits?"

Earlier Makhachkala-Moscow and return flights were made by the "Dagestani Airlines" and some Moscow-based company - first, by the "Vnukovo Airlines", then, by the S-7 ("Siberia"). Later, all the flights were monopolized by the "Dagestani Airlines".

The "Caucasian Knot" was informed at the Dagestani Department of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), the department initiated cases on violation of the Law "On Protection of Competition" against the "Dagestani Airlines", because the airlines "Avia-Don" and the "Kuban Airlines" complained that they refused to service their aircrafts at the airport in Makhachkala. At present, these cases are pending.

The "Dagestani Airlines" refused to comment on any information about the technical state of their aircrafts till the end of the official investigation.