Ethiopian Airlines on Wednesday denied media reports that it planned to lease commercial aircraft to airlines in Russia, where Western sanctions have left operators without new passenger jets, spare parts, and maintenance services.
“We have observed news circulating on social media that implicate [sic] Ethiopian Airlines will supply airplanes to Russian airlines on wet-lease bases, and also supply aircraft spare parts to them,” the carrier said in a statement on X. “We would like to inform all concerned that Ethiopian Airlines has never been requested or discussed on this topic with any party. Moreover, it does not have any plan or intention to do so. Hence, the news is unfounded.”
“We would also like to assure our customers, partners, and stakeholders that Ethiopian Airlines conducts its operation in full compliance with applicable international laws, regulations, and contractual obligation,” the statement continued.
According to reports circulated by outlets in Russia, Ethiopia, and Ukraine, a Russian delegation approached Ethiopia’s Civil Aviation Authority last month and asked for help setting up an aircraft leasing deal with Ethiopian Airlines. The organization reportedly rejected the request because it does not have the authority to order Ethiopian Airlines to lease its airplanes.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew told the Amsterdam-based Moscow Times that there were no substantive talks between his company and the Russian representatives.
“Russia is under U.S. sanctions, and Ethiopian Airlines has strong operational and commercial ties with the United States,” Tasew said. “We operate under international regulations and U.S. law, and we are not willing to take the risk of violating those laws.”
Russia has reportedly approached a number of countries, including Kazakhstan, Kuwait, and Qatar, in an effort to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on its aerospace and airline industries after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. About two-thirds of Russia’s commercial aircraft are Boeing and Airbus models, but until the sanctions are lifted, the two companies cannot deliver new airplanes to Russian operators or service their existing fleets. As a result, Russian airlines are running up against mounting technical failures and pulling problem aircraft from service.
Russia has retaliated by barring Western airlines from using its airspace. The government also announced plans to revive its domestic aircraft manufacturing capabilities and return to Soviet-era output levels, but that goal is likely many years away.
Ethiopia has not sanctioned Russia directly and declared itself neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war.
