Dhaka, Feb. 20 -- Russia's Ural Airlines said it will launch what it described as a first-of-its-kind domestic program to extend the service life of its Airbus A320 family aircraft beyond 96,000 flight hours, as Western sanctions continue to strain the country's aviation sector.

Work will begin in autumn 2026 at the airline's in-house maintenance facility. The program will involve full disassembly of the aircraft, detailed inspections, structural airframe repairs, and final reassembly before returning the jets to commercial service.

In a statement, Ural Airlines said no comparable comprehensive life-extension initiative currently exists in Russia. It described the project as a "logical continuation" of its engineering development and a ...