Ural Airlines confirmed today that it wants to allow the Airbus A320, which made an emergency landing near the Russian village of Kamenka last month, to take off again from that wheat field. However, additional research is still needed before that happens.

Inspections have already shown that the aircraft's engines are still in good order. However, equipment still needs to be brought to the field to investigate, among other things, whether the landing gear is still sufficient, the Russian airline said in a statement.

It will become clear later when the Airbus can take off. In anticipation of this, fencing has been placed around the aircraft, so that no miscreants can get to it. Ural Airlines is considering removing the seats from the aircraft to reduce the take-off weight.

The A320 landed in the wheat field last month because there was a problem with the hydraulics and there was not enough kerosene left to reach the intended alternate airport (with a longer runway). All passengers were able to leave the plane safely. The pilots received a lot of praise for this.

Because the aircraft appears to have suffered only very limited damage, Ural Airlines would like to put the nineteen-year-old A320 back into service. Since the Western sanctions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the company can no longer buy new Airbuses.

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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)