The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) urged the Russian Federation to immediately cease its infractions of the Chicago Convention, particularly registering an aircraft in more than one State. Since the outbreak of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country has moved more than 450 foreign aircraft to its own registry. Let’s investigate further.

ICAO is looking into the matter

During its 226th Meeting Session, the ICAO council reviewed the operation of double-registered aircraft in the Russian Federation.

In a statement, ICAO reminded that Article 18 of the Chicago Convention provides that an aircraft cannot be validly registered in more than one State. However, its registration may be changed from one state to another.

If an aircraft is registered in two countries, it raises safety concerns relating to, for instance, the international validity of the plane’s certificate of airworthiness and radio station license, said ICAO.

After taking note of the legal principles and an oral report on the matter, the ICAO Council called on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its infractions of the Chicago Convention, “with a view to preserving the safety and security of civil aviation, and to urgently remedy these violations.”

Why is Russia doing this?

A few weeks after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, the local government passed a law allowing the country’s airlines to place airplanes leased from foreign companies on the country’s aircraft register.

Russian airlines have almost 780 leased jets, most of them leased from abroad.

In April, IBA InsightIQ revealed that of 976 Russian passenger and freighter aircraft in service, 205 planes were on the Russian register. By that time, the Russian register had now been bolstered by an additional 360 airplanes. Nonetheless, the number has increased over the last few months.

Russia and Bermuda’s tug of war over registered aircraft

Most of the airliners the Russian government has reregistered are also registered in Bermuda.

As of June 29, 2022, 461 aircraft are registered both in Bermuda and Russia, according to a registry released by the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority.

Aeroflot, Russia’s State carrier, has 157 aircraft registered in both countries. Other Russian airlines with Bermuda-registered planes are AirBridge Cargo, Atran, Azur Air, Ikar, Smartavia, Nordstar, Nordwind, Pobeda, and Rossiya.

According to the Royal Gazette, Russia wants Bermuda to end its supervision of some aircraft, as the Caribbean country still has hundreds of Russian-operated aircraft on its registry.

The Russian government supposedly informed Bermuda that the airlines operating in its country had sent Bermuda a notice regarding the necessity of deregistering the aircraft.

“In order to avoid breaking Article 18 of Chicago convention by Bermuda’s aviation authority, said authority has to remove the aircraft, that were registered and are being used in the Russian Federation, from its aviation registry.”

Most likely, this petition by the Russian government was a direct response to China’s recent ban on foreign-owned Russian aircraft from its airspace.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority responded to these claims by the Russian government. It said,

“Whilst we have not received a request from the Russian authorities to deregister aircraft, we have received a number of letters from Russian air operators requesting that we deregister aircraft formerly operated by them.

“Our response is consistent in that we will deregister aircraft on request from the owner, in accordance with the relevant Bermuda legislation and procedures.”

Source: Royal Gazette.