Russia asks Vietnam for planes as illegally re-registered Western fleet falls apart

Russia has approached Vietnam to request the wet-leasing of aircraft, flight crews, and maintenance services to bolster its struggling aviation sector. The proposal involves the use of Airbus and Boeing jets currently operated by Vietnamese carriers. This request follows reports that nearly 20 percent of Russia’s largest airlines' fleets are grounded, a rate double the typical industry downtime, as the country faces difficulties maintaining Western-made aircraft that were illegally re-registered following international sanctions.

Any potential agreement faces significant geopolitical and economic hurdles, as transferring these aircraft could expose Vietnamese airlines to secondary Western sanctions. The situation highlights the ongoing impact of international aviation restrictions on Russia’s ability to sustain its commercial flight operations using Western-manufactured hardware.