Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has voiced opposition to the bans on aircraft parts shipments to Russian airlines, saying that it could compromise&nbsp;air safety. In a response to questions from AIN, IATA addressed the sanctions imposed this week by the European Union and the U.S. that effectively prohibit&nbsp;Airbus and Boeing, among others, from supporting their Russian customers’ fleets.

 


“IATA does not support bans on the export of commercial aircraft equipment and spare parts because this potentially impacts safety, which is always the top priority,” said the statement. &nbsp;

 


Boeing and Airbus this week have each suspended their maintenance support for their Russian customers in compliance with European and U.S. sanctions imposed in reaction to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

 


On Monday, Boeing had closed its operations center in the besieged Ukrainian capital Kyiv and paused operations at its Moscow training center, and by Tuesday said it had suspended all “major” operations in Russia. On Wednesday, Airbus followed suit, noting it too had stopped shipping parts and providing support services to its customers in Russia. Several Russian airlines operate Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including flag carrier Aeroflot, which as of January had taken six out of an order for 14 Airbus A350s and operated some 100 A320-family narrowbodies. Aeroflot’s Boeing fleet includes nearly 40 Boeing 737-800s and 22 Boeing 777-300ERs.

 


After many years of suffering from a reputation for substandard safety standards, Russia’s accident record has improved dramatically in recent years, as the CIS region registered no fatal jet accidents in 2020 and 2021, according to IATA statistics released Wednesday. However, it did suffer four fatal turboprop accidents last year, resulting in 41 deaths. None of the airlines involved appeared on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry, an internationally recognized evaluation system that both the FAA and EASA use in their approval processes for third-party code-share agreements.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

IATA Opposes Bans on Parts Shipments to Russian Airlines

The International Air Transport Association cited safety as its “top priority” as it voiced opposition to bans on aircraft equipment to Russia.

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News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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