MONTREAL (Reuters) -Any dual registration of foreign-owned aircraft leased by Russian carriers would be inconsistent with parts of a key agreement that sets out core principles for global aviation, the United Nations’ aviation agency said by email on Friday.
Russia’s government said on Thursday it had proposed allowing foreign planes leased by Russian airlines to be registered as the airlines’ property, and for them to be given Russian airworthiness certificates.
Western bans imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine give most leasing firms until March 28 to sever ties with Russian airlines – sparking a game of cat-and-mouse from Asia to Africa as lenders frantically try to seize aircraft.
Russia is trying to get around this by re-registering the foreign-owned planes in Russia, said one source familiar with discussions on the issue this week by the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s governing council.
Since most of the foreign-owned planes operated by Russian carriers under lease are registered in Bermuda, Russia will allow the aircraft to be dual registered, a second source said.
ICAO said in an emailed response to Reuters that dual registration would not be consistent with Article 18 of the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, known as the Chicago Convention, which says “an aircraft cannot be validly registered in more than one state.”
Montreal-based ICAO said it has reached out to the Russian government requesting confirmation and more details but has not yet received a response.
ICAO cannot impose rules on governments but sets standards overwhelmingly followed by its 193 member countries.
(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal. Additional reporting by Tim Hepher in Paris; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Rosalba O’Brien)
