Russia Proposes Letting Airlines Keep Foreign-Leased Jets Through 2028

Russia’s Transport Ministry has proposed extending wartime rules that let Russian airlines continue operating aircraft leased from foreign companies. The extension would last two years, through the end of 2028. It matters because many Russian carriers still depend on these aircraft, while replacement planes remain in testing and certification.

The rules began in March 2022, after foreign lessors demanded their aircraft back and Western manufacturers stopped supplying parts and technical support. If adopted, airlines could continue insuring, repairing and maintaining the leased aircraft and engines under Russian rules. The fleet includes Boeing, Airbus and Embraer jets.

The proposal indicates that Moscow expects to need the foreign-leased fleet for longer. Russia is preparing the Russian-built MC-21, but certification is still underway. The first batch of 18 aircraft was being prepared, so replacement capacity may not arrive quickly enough to replace the existing fleet by the end of 2026.

Foreign leasing companies sought to recover their aircraft because Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine disrupted the contracts and international business arrangements behind those leases. The companies demanded the return of planes they had leased to Russian airlines. Their actions came as the wider aviation relationship between Russia and Western companies sharply deteriorated.

Russia introduced special rules in March 2022 that allowed its carriers to retain aircraft leased before the invasion. Those aircraft included Boeing, Airbus and Embraer jets. At the same time, Western manufacturers cut off parts and technical support, making it harder for Russian airlines to operate and maintain the planes through normal channels.

The recovery demands therefore led to a legal and practical standoff. Russian airlines kept the aircraft under domestic rules, while foreign lessors wanted them returned. Russia’s proposal to extend those rules through 2028 shows that the dispute has not been quickly resolved and that replacement aircraft are not yet ready in sufficient numbers.

At least $1.2 billion in aircraft components reached Russian airlines and their maintenance units between May 2022 and June 2023. The figure comes from a Reuters analysis of customs records. It shows the enormous scale of the effort required to keep Russia’s foreign-built aircraft flying after normal manufacturer support ended.

The equipment moved through intermediaries rather than directly from the Western manufacturers that had cut off parts and technical support. Companies and suppliers in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, China and Central Asia helped provide access to aircraft components. These routes gave Russian carriers another way to obtain the parts needed for repairs and maintenance.

The figure also explains why Moscow wants to extend its wartime rules. Russian airlines still rely heavily on leased Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft. Until replacement planes such as the MC-21 are certified and enter passenger service, continued access to parts and maintenance remains central to keeping the existing fleet operating.

A wet lease is an arrangement in which an airline obtains an aircraft together with its crew and maintenance. The article says Russia has sought this kind of deal because it needs aircraft and the support systems required to operate them. It can therefore offer a way to keep flights running despite shortages of parts, technical support and replacement jets.

In September, Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said Russia had approached Vietnam about a wet-lease deal. Vietnamese officials were reviewing the proposal. Under such an arrangement, the supplying airline would provide aircraft, pilots or other crew, and maintenance services, rather than handing over an unsupported aircraft alone.

This could reduce the burden on Russian carriers, which have had to find parts and maintain foreign-leased planes under wartime rules. However, the article does not say that Vietnam approved the proposal. Russia had also approached Ethiopia, but Ethiopia said it could not order its national airline to lease aircraft to Russian carriers.

Russia’s re-registration of foreign-leased aircraft created a dispute because the planes were still recorded on another country’s books. Under the Chicago Convention, a civil aircraft can be registered in only one country at a time. Russia’s action therefore raised the question of which national authority had legal responsibility for safety oversight.

The aircraft had originally been leased from foreign companies and remained connected to their foreign registrations. Russia then re-registered them domestically under the wartime rules that let its airlines retain the planes. This created overlapping claims, because Russian authorities and the authorities linked to the original registrations could both appear responsible for supervising the same aircraft.

The International Civil Aviation Organization challenged Russia’s decision. The article says the arrangement left two national authorities responsible for oversight of the same planes. That uncertainty matters because clear responsibility is central to aircraft safety, certification and continued operation across national borders.

If replacement aircraft such as the MC-21 are not certified and ready, Russian airlines may have fewer planes available when permission to use the foreign-leased fleet ends. That could put pressure on flight schedules and the country’s ability to maintain current air services. The article does not state exactly what disruptions would occur, so the precise outcome is uncertain.

Russia’s current fleet includes Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft leased before the invasion. The government’s rules let carriers keep, insure, repair and maintain them under Russian rules. Airlines have also obtained parts through intermediaries, with at least $1.2 billion in components reaching Russian aviation units between May 2022 and June 2023.

The MC-21 is intended to replace imported components and support Russia’s future passenger fleet. Yet certification work was still underway, and the manufacturer was preparing its first batch of 18 aircraft. The proposed extension through 2028 suggests Moscow expects the existing fleet to remain necessary for several more years.

Commercial aircraft leasing is an arrangement in which a leasing company owns an aircraft and an airline pays to use it for an agreed period. The airline operates the plane, while the lessor remains the owner under the lease. In the article, Russian carriers had leased aircraft from foreign companies before the invasion.

Leasing can help airlines avoid paying the entire purchase price at once. It may also let them add or replace aircraft more flexibly as their fleets change. These are established features of commercial aviation leasing, although the article focuses on Russia’s wartime dispute rather than explaining the business model in detail.

The Russian case shows the risks when a lease breaks down. Foreign lessors demanded their aircraft back after the invasion, while Russia allowed airlines to retain them. Russia then had to arrange parts, repairs and maintenance under domestic rules. The dispute also raised questions about registration and safety oversight, because the aircraft remained linked to foreign registrations.