Russian Transport Ministry prepares bill on using wet leasing for aircraft on international routes

MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) - The Russian Transport Ministry has drafted a bill to allow the use of wet leasing for aircraft on international routes, Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Poteshkin said at the Transport Week 2024 forum.

"To create conditions for increasing airline capacities and meet demand for transportation, wet leasing has been legalized for domestic routes starting September 1, 2024. We are currently developing a notification format for Rosaviatsiya [the Federal Air Transport Agency] regarding the conclusion of wet leasing agreements. Amendments to the Air Code have been prepared to extend this mechanism to international flights," Poteshkin said.

Aeroflot previously proposed to the Transport Ministry that Russian airlines be allowed to lease aircraft under wet leasing agreements, whereby planes are rented along with their crews, from foreign carriers. "Aeroflot has already proposed amendments to the Air Code to enable leasing of aircraft under wet leasing arrangements on external markets outside of Russia. The Transport Ministry supports us on this," Aeroflot CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky told journalists at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in September 2024.

Transport Minister Roman Starovoit also confirmed during the EEF that the initiative is under discussion. "Of course, negotiations are ongoing with friendly countries," he said during the forum.

As previously reported, provisions of the Russian Air Code came into effect allowing airlines to lease their aircraft under wet leasing agreements on September 1, 2024. However, this mechanism can currently only be used for domestic passenger transportation.