Russia has proposed that Vietnamese airlines, including Vietnam Airlines, wet-lease aircraft to Russian carriers, providing the aircraft with crews, maintenance and insurance. Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin confirmed the initiative after talks in Moscow, while Vietnam reviews the proposal. No agreement has been reached, and the number of aircraft, participating Russian airlines and any start date remain undisclosed.
The proposal reflects Russia’s difficulty securing aircraft, spare parts and technical support under Western sanctions. Vietnam Airlines operates Airbus and Boeing aircraft, meaning any transfer could involve Western-built jets subject to restrictions affecting Russian aviation.
That creates potential sanctions, regulatory and insurance risks for the Vietnamese lessor and the aircraft. The arrangement would also require compliance with applicable operating, airworthiness and export-control requirements, although no specific structure has been disclosed.
Moscow has linked the initiative to rising air travel between Russia and Vietnam and expanded bilateral flight entitlements. Those developments provide commercial context but do not confirm that a wet-lease operation will be established.
If implemented, the arrangement could give Russian airlines short-term capacity while reducing their reliance on constrained access to Western support. For now, however, it remains an official proposal rather than a signed contract or operating programme.