Russia prevents unemployed pilots from emigrating

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 28 Jun 2022 by Alex Teddy

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On June 28 Russian newspaper Kommersant said that five civil aviation industry sources had told them the new unofficial policy. In March 2022 airlines starting making pilots redundant because Russian airlines lost most of their international routes and a high majority of their passengers. Russians can fly to Turkey, for instance, but fewer of them can afford it than for any time in the last 20 years. The Federal Air Transport Agency is refusing to confirm pilots' licenses when they seek work abroad. Therefore, foreign airlines will not employ these pilots.  There have been 600 responses to confirmation requests from the Federal Air Transport Agency since February 2022. It refuses to confirm on the grounds of privacy. There are other requests that are simply not answered. Some pilots moved to Turkey, Thailand and Malaysia before the new policy. Previously the Transport Agency received 70 confirmation requests a month. It is now about 200. The government is worried about a shortage of pilots as many pilots emigrate.  There are 15,000 pilots in Russia. 5,000 are over retirement age. About 300 quit annually due to illness. Occasionally pilots are banned for violations, and a few die early. Of 10,000 working age pilots about 400 in total stop piloting each year. It is thought that very few people will apply to train as pilots in 2023 because it does not seem like a viable career. Putin said Russian civil aviation needs to keep passenger numbers at 100 million a year by the end of 2022. That seems wildly overambitious.  Civil aviation has been dealt a heavy blow by sanctions. Russia aims to have 81% of its planes made in Russia by 2030.