Russia eyes ACMI lease of Ethiopian Airlines aircraft in new strategy to circumvent sanctions
August 4, 2025
Russia is seeking an aircraft leasing agreement with Ethiopian Airlines under an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) deal. Such an arrangement would help address the country’s aircraft and parts shortage, which has become severe after years of Western sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia decommissioned 58 aircraft in 2024
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, dozens of airframes were decommissioned in 2024. Rosaviatsia head Dmitry Yadrov said, “Due to a lack of resources, the impossibility of carrying out repairs and aviation accidents, airlines have taken 58 aircraft out of service.”
Many of these aircraft have been cannibalised for parts to keep the wider fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft flying. Despite this, up to half of the approximately 700 foreign-made passenger planes have been grounded due to a lack of spare parts.
S7 Airlines, the largest private airline in Russia, is particularly affected, with 31 of its 39 Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft grounded.
According to NewsAero, the lease proposal arose during a meeting between Russia’s Trade Commissioner, Yaroslav Tarasyuk, and Yohannes Abera, the Director General of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority.
Ethiopian Airlines has a relatively young fleet of 143 aircraft, with an average age of 8.6 years. They include a mix of 24 Airbus A350XWBs, 23 Boeing 777 and 29 Boeing 787 widebody planes, as well as 34 Boeing 737 narrowbody aircraft.
In April of this year, the Odessa Journal reported that Russia had passed a law allowing its airlines to “enter into wet lease agreements with domestic and foreign operators for international flights.”
But does Ethiopian Airlines have any spare aircraft?
The Ethiopian Airlines fleet is already highly utilised, supporting its own operations. Ethiopian Airlines serves an extensive network of destinations in Africa, as well as international routes to Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas from its hub in Addis Ababa.
The airline has delayed plans to expand to Oceania due to a lack of aircraft to operate the route. As reported by ch-aviation in July, the airline’s regional manager for Asia-Pacific, Telila Deressa Gutema, described aircraft as “the missing piece of the puzzle” in launching service to Australia. He even invited lessors with Airbus A350s or Boeing 787s available for sale or lease to get in touch.
Furthermore, Ethiopian Airlines’ open orders for 11 Airbus A350s and 11 Boeing 787s have been delayed by production and materials shortages at the OEMs and are now not expected before 2028.
Another complication for any ACMI proposal in Russia is that a substantial number of Ethiopian Airlines’ aircraft are leased. The airline’s lessors would need to approve the aircraft operating in a restricted airspace, and will likely have some concerns about the quality of maintenance of their assets.
Russia also eyes MRO services and communications supply in Ethiopia
The proposal includes Russia’s offer to help build additional Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul capabilities at Addis Ababa, and to supply communications equipment, which the Ethiopian authorities welcomed.
Russian airlines have requested permission from the government to send parts abroad for repairs. However, options are limited as many MRO facilities are in countries with strict monitoring of engines and engine parts, to prevent them from going to Russia. Whether a Russian-owned MRO in Ethiopia could circumvent these restrictions is in doubt.
