Russian lawmakers on Wednesday called for a ban on planes built more than 20 years ago after a 23-year-old Boeing 737 operated by a regional airline crashed, killing all 50 passengers and crew.
Five lawmakers from the ruling party United Russia submitted amendments that would introduce a ban on "using civilian aircraft that were produced more than 20 years ago to carry out commercial flights."
The latest deadly crash in Russia when a Tatarstan Airlines plane nose-dived and burst into flames Sunday has once again prompted anger over Russia's dire safety record, with most accidents occurring on internal flights run by small regional airlines.
"One of the main problems of civil aviation in Russia is the exceptionally high age of the aircraft," the lawmakers wrote in an explanatory note to the bill.
"According to official statistics, as of 2011, (the average) was around 21 years old," they said.
The law would enter into force in 2017 to give airlines time to update their fleets, they added.
The plane that crashed on Sunday was issued in 1990 and had previously operated routes in Africa and Brazil, where it underwent major repairs, before being bought by the Russian airline.
The reason for the crash remained unclear. The plane fell almost vertically short off the runway while making a second attempt to land in the Volga city of Kazan.
Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee, which investigates all crashes, said Wednesday that they had found the sound recordings of the crew's last minutes on the plane.
Russia's powerful Investigative Committee has opened a criminal probe into a suspected breach of air safety rules.
Investigations have pinned the ban for recent deadly air crashes on pilot error rather than technical failures.
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