Russia Asks Vietnam For Airplanes

Including the crew and maintenance staff.

Russian authorities are trying to reach an agreement with Vietnam on the transfer of Vietnamese carriers’ aircraft to domestic airlines under a “wet lease” arrangement—that is, a lease that includes the crew and maintenance. According to "Interfax", this was announced by Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin. “We have sent the relevant proposals to our colleagues, and they are reviewing them,” the minister said following Russian-Vietnamese talks in Moscow. Nikitin noted “very positive trends” in tourist traffic between the countries across all modes of transportation, adding that air travel “has nearly tripled compared to last year.”

The transfer of aircraft to Vietnamese carriers will allow for expanded cooperation and increased air service between the countries, the minister noted. Previously, Russia—which, due to international sanctions and the loss of legal access to foreign aircraft and components—had already attempted to negotiate “wet leasing” agreements with a number of countries, including Central Asian states, as well as Qatar, Kuwait, and Ethiopia. Last summer, in 2025, the authorities rejected this request from the Russian side, citing a lack of authority to issue directives to the national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, regarding aircraft leasing, as well as the risk of falling under secondary U.S. sanctions.

At the same time, there is no information yet regarding any “wet lease” agreements for aircraft from carriers in other countries. Russian airlines need new aircraft; since the start of the war in Ukraine, they have been unable not only to purchase but also to repair Boeing and Airbus aircraft, which account for two-thirds of the domestic civil aviation fleet and 90% of passenger traffic.

Amid difficulties in procuring aircraft components, nearly 20% of the aircraft in the fleets of Russia’s largest airlines were grounded, according to calculations by Kommersant. Among the 11 companies that account for over 90% of all Russian passenger traffic, 130 out of 673 aircraft were grounded during the summer, whereas a normal level during this period is considered to be up to 10% of the fleet being grounded for scheduled maintenance. Excluding the largest group, Aeroflot, eight carriers had nearly a third of their fleets grounded—93 out of 322 aircraft.

Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized Russian carriers to lease aircraft from foreign companies under a “wet lease” arrangement in April 2025. Prior to this, “wet” leasing was permitted only between domestic airlines and only for domestic flights.

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