The Russian government is poised to liberalize aviation regs and customs laws to make it easier for Russians to register their business aircraft in Russia. According to Russia Today, Russians spent $2.5 billion on private aircraft, almost all of them bizjets, last year but most are registered elsewhere. Government spokesman Sergey Stepashin says thats about to change but he didnt specify when. The rules for small aviation are not settled in Russia. The majority of planes are registered abroad because of high customs fees. Thats why its now very important to change our aviation code, to make it possible to register a private business jet in Russia, he said. Meanwhile, with the industry expanding at 30 percent a year despite the laws, western companies are filling the market gaps.
Bombardier announced Tuesday that it had appointed Jet Aviation as its line maintenance facility at Vnukovo International Airport. The move means Challenger and Global model owners will be able to get 24-hour service at the airport. Vnukovo airport is a strategically important location for the increasing number of Bombardier business aviation operators either based in or passing through the region, James Hoblyn, Bombardier spokesman said in a news release.
