Sanctions have led to much of Russia’s commercial fleet being grounded due to the unavailability of parts and servicing. Moscow has asked Hanoi to help keep Russia’s airlines airborne, seeking leased passenger jets from Vietnamese carriers as sanctions leave much of its domestic fleet grounded. The proposal involves so-called ‘wet leases,’ which include the aircraft’s crew and maintenance requirements. President Vladimir Putin changed the law last year to allow wet leasing from foreign carriers, whereas it had previously only been permitted between domestic companies for flights within the country. Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin told the Interfax news agency that the relevant documentation was now being considered by Vietnamese authorities. Grounded fleet As much as 20% of Russia’s passenger fleet remains grounded after carriers lost access to parts for Boeing and Airbus planes due to sanctions imposed following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russian air carriers have also been unable to buy replacement Western aircraft due to the restrictions. Foreign-made aircraft carry around 95% of Russia’s commercial passenger traffic, according to BBC Russian Service. Moscow had earlier tried to secure wet leases from other countries, including former Soviet republics in Central Asia as well as Qatar, Kuwait, and Ethiopia, the Moscow Times reported. The paper said Ethiopa had turned down the request citing the risk of secondary sanctions among other factors. ‘Systemic deterioration’ In addition to the grounding of planes, Russian aviation infrastructure faces significant challenges, Ukrainian news service LIGA.net reported citing Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR). The number of airfields in Russia has also fallen from 283 to 225 over the last 10 years GUR said. "The Russian Federation’s air transport sector is undergoing systemic deterioration, which is caused by civil aviation’s dependence on foreign-made aircraft, the limited capabilities of the Russian aviation industry, and the deteriorating financial condition of companies in the sector," GUR was quoted by LIGA as saying. A further problem facing the sector is increased disruption to operations caused by Ukraine’s strategy of long-range drone strikes, which have led to airport closures and flight cancelations.
