The Ministry of Transport of Russia has allowed domestic airlines to use aircraft from carriers from friendly countries starting in 2026. This was announced by the head of the Ministry of Transport, Andrey Nikitin.
The head of the department was asked about the situation with the shortage of carrying capacity, while aircraft manufacturers do not begin to mass-produce new aircraft.
In aviation, we have already provided such an opportunity. Our airlines will be able to use aircraft from airlines from friendly countries and operate flights. This refers to the "wet lease" mechanism. For us, the interests of passengers come first; it is very important for us to ensure the aviation mobility of the population.
It should be noted that the rules for issuing permits for such transportation will come into force in March 2026. "Wet lease" is the transfer of an aircraft for rent together with the crew.
In the coming years, key domestic aircraft will take to the skies — MC-21, Tu-214 and SJ-100, which will become the basis for updating the aircraft fleet of Russian airlines.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that the manufacturer of MC-21 and SJ-100, Yakovlev, suffered a loss of 4 billion rubles in 9 months of 2025.