Interjet's Russian Superjet fleet could not stay in the air and took the airline down

In 2013, Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet ordered 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jets, becoming one of the few Western operators of the Russian-built aircraft. The deal looked inexpensive: the former CEO said the capital cost of 10 Superjets was about equal to the pre-delivery payment for one Airbus A320, and the airline planned to use them on thinner domestic routes.

Mechanical issues and a weak global support network quickly plagued the fleet. By March 2019, 15 of Interjet's 22 Superjets were in storage, and dozens of SaM146 engines were out of service because the airline had not paid for repairs. Interjet received roughly $40 million in compensation from Sukhoi for maintenance failures, but passenger demand for the aircraft stayed low because of safety concerns.

The airline swung to an operating loss in 2018 and never recovered. It tried to sell the Superjets back to Sukhoi, but negotiations deadlocked. By late 2020 Interjet could not pay its fuel bills, had returned Airbus aircraft to lessors, and was down to about six active Superjets. The fleet choice became a central reason the once-promising airline collapsed.