Russian airlines approved to wet lease aircraft from foreign operators

:: Nordwind airlines

Russian operators are now officially enabled to wet lease aircraft from foreign airlines and operate them on international routes following Russian government’s approval of the respective amendments to the country’s Air Code.

ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) scheme was legalized in Russia on September 1, 2024 – however, up until now it has been restricted to domestic market only.

According to the new regulations, an aircraft, wet leased from a foreign operator is subject to operational approval by the Russian authorities. The lease agreement must be in full compliance with both countries’ national legislations.

“This means additional fleet – and thus, improved travel opportunities in Russia,” head of the country’s flagship carrier Aeroflot, Sergey Alexandrovskiy reported to president Vladimir Putin at a meeting on April 7. It was Aeroflot, which pioneered ACMI on domestic market. In December 2024 it leased three Airbus A330-300 widebody aircraft with flight and cabin crews from privately-owned iFly company, and started operating them on flights between Moscow and Russia’s Far East.

Russian airlines have been banned from importing Western-built aircraft due to sanctions imposed in 2022. According to Air Transport Operators’ Association, western aircraft accounts for almost 90% of the country’s entire passenger traffic.