The draft law On Amending Individual Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Regarding the Employment of Foreign Citizens as Civilian Aircraft Crew Members was developed by the Ministry of Transport.

Recently, Russia has been facing problems with the provision of skilled pilots for airlines, primarily civilian aircraft captains, hereinafter referred to as AC.

This problem is the result of the following:

·        In 1995-2009, no more than 160 pilots completed basic training and graduated from flight school; at the same time, about 700 pilots were quitting annually for various reasons;

·        It takes at least three to four years to train aircrews for new aircraft types;

·        It takes six to eight years after graduation to train a copilot to function as an AC.

Currently, the civilian aviation industry needs 1,100-1,500 aircrew members annually.

The current shortage of specialists will impair the professional skills of active pilots.

It is a challenge for airlines to meet popular and economic air transport demand, which has been increasing over the past few years.

In an effort to resolve this problem, a draft law stipulating amendments to the Air Code of the Russian Federation and Federal Law On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation has been submitted. The document aims to eliminate restrictions regarding the employment of foreign citizens as civilian aircraft crew members and to authorise the Government to stipulate the relevant procedure allowing foreign citizens to serve as civilian aircraft ACs.

The option to hire foreign pilots will allow Russian air carriers to eliminate crew shortages.

The draft law will be reviewed at a Government meeting.