Russian airlines can use 193 aircraft to fly abroad without risk of seizure; country lifts coronavirus restrictions

Russian airlines are still able to operate flights outside of Russia with the use of 193 aircraft, Russian Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev said on Tuesday. A fleet of Antonov An-148, Sukhoi Super Jet 100 and a few fully owned foreign aircraft (Airbus, Boeing, Embraer) that leasing companies are not able to seize when these aircraft set foot on foreign soil.

Savelyev entrusted the Russian media that the Russian airlines can transport 90 million passengers domestically and 10 million passengers to countries outside Russia. “We still have nine countries where we can fly to,” the minister said.

Very optimistic figures, as inflation has sharply accelerated in the past weeks after the invasion and war in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions by Western countries. Consumer prices have increased year-to-date by around 9%. The Russian central bank warned of an imminent spike in inflation and a looming economic contraction.

The Russian Government also decided to lift coronavirus restrictions on flights to 52 “friendly” countries. Russia plans to resume flights to the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, the DPR of Korea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.