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Russia proposes leasing aircraft and crews from Vietnam, minister says

Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin says Russia has proposed leasing aircraft with crews, maintenance and insurance from Vietnamese carriers, and Hanoi is studying the proposal.

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An Aeroflot passenger plane parked beside a boarding bridge, seen through a terminal window.
An Aeroflot plane is parked at a boarding gate at Sheremetyevo Airport outside Moscow on July 9, 2013.

Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin says Moscow has proposed that Vietnamese carriers transfer aircraft to Russian airlines under a wet lease. This arrangement covers the aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. Hanoi is studying the proposal, he said.

The request comes as Russia's passenger fleet deteriorates. Russia has asked Vietnam for jets with crews and maintenance while nearly a fifth of the country's largest airlines' aircraft are grounded, following its seizure of aircraft from Western lessors in 2022.

Russian industry data show that 130 of the 673 aircraft operated by Russia's 11 largest airlines are not in service, nearly one-fifth of the total. The normal downtime rate is around 10%.

Western spare parts and technical services are now subject to sanctions. Airlines have been stripping components from the seized fleet to supply other aircraft, further complicating the legal issues surrounding those planes.