Russia is facing a critical shortage of passenger aircraft due to Western sanctions, forcing the Ministry of Transport to ask ASEAN countries for leased planes with crews. The request was made public during the Russia-ASEAN Business Forum in Kazan, highlighting the severe impact of four years of restrictions on Russian aviation.
Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the supply of new and used passenger aircraft to Russia, as well as on spare parts. Banks and leasing companies also stopped financing Aeroflot and other Russian carriers.
More than four years later, the consequences are devastating. Russian airlines cannot maintain regular flights to Central Asia, China, the Far East, and domestic routes are also heavily disrupted. The lack of serviceable aircraft has become a systemic problem.
Leasing with crew as a last resort
During the forum in Kazan, Russia’s Transport Ministry officially requested that civil aviation authorities of ASEAN member states provide passenger aircraft under ACMI leasing, which includes the crew, maintenance and insurance. Such an arrangement is normally used for short-term capacity increases, but for Russia it has become a necessary tool to keep some routes operational.
This move was made possible by a law signed by President Vladimir Putin several months earlier, which allows Russian airlines to lease foreign aircraft despite the sanctions. The law was designed to circumvent the ban on direct leasing from Western companies.
– The situation is truly dramatic. We have no other option but to ask our partners in ASEAN for help – said a representative of the Ministry of Transport during the forum.
ASEAN members and Russia’s limited options
ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, includes Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. These countries have largely maintained neutral or friendly stances toward Moscow, making them the only viable source of aircraft for Russia.
However, even if some ASEAN carriers agree to lease planes, the scale of the problem is immense. Russian airlines have already cannibalized many of their own jets for spare parts, and domestic production of new aircraft, such as the Sukhoi Superjet and MC-21, has been plagued by delays and component shortages due to sanctions.
Experts note that without a significant influx of serviceable aircraft, Russia’s aviation network will continue to shrink. The country is effectively isolated from the global aviation supply chain, and the leasing request to ASEAN is a clear sign of its deepening crisis.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Siergiej Kustov / wikimedia commons / CC 3.0 BY
