R U S S I A
BUSINESS AIRPOR T INTERNATIONAL J U L Y 2 0 1 9 | 65
“The industry has
established modern
infrastructure, which
complies with the highest
international standards”
Anna Serezhkina, an executive director of
the Russian United Business Aviation
Association
registered within the
domestic jurisdiction.
The majority of
private business aircraft
providing services of
business aviation in
Russia are of foreign
origin, while the list of the
most popular brands, owned
by local citizens includes Falcon,
Cessna, Hawker, Embraer Legacy
and Challenger and some others.
There is a high demand for large business jets, where
costs may reach US$50 million or even higher. The most
popular models of the larger business jets are those which
have a range of 3,000-5,000km.
Customs challenges
In addition to Western sanctions, a number of serious
problems continue to prevent the rapid development of
business aviation in Russia and Moscow. One of the largest
is the complex customs clearance procedure for business
jets that are imported into Russia, which is
expensive and lengthy.
According to Leonid Koshelev,
CEO of Streamline, one of Russia’s
leading business jet operators and flight
support providers, the paperwork, which
is associated with customs clearance of
business jets, imported to Russia, can take
several months, compared to three to four days
in the case of the EU states.
The high cost of ground handling servicing in most
Russian airports, including in Moscow and regional ones,
remains another major problem for the industry. The cost of
ground handling for business jets in Russian airports, up to
double the cost of the same services in the EU and the US.
Many local business jet operators and owners also
complain about the monopolization of airport services for
business jets provided by companies in Russia’s largest
domestic airports by certain companies, which they claim
are closely affiliated with the administration of the airports.
However, there are signs of change for the airport ground
services sector after the Russia’s Prime Minister, Dmitry
Above: The Sheremetyevo
Center of Business Aviation
in Moscow is one of Russia’s
largest FBOs
Left: Russia has no domestic
business jet production,
so owners and corporations
use foreign-made jets