In the frantic days following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow cobbled together legislation authorizing Russian air-carriers to add aircraft leased from foreign countries to Russia's aircraft register, thereby effectively defaulting on extant leases and loans. The maneuver was prompted by Russian certainty in the imminence of Western sanctions that would have seen the aircraft repossessed by their owners.
The Turkish civil aviation authority seems to be maneuvering to hold the country’s pilots hostage. Against the backdrop of the looming summer tourism season, the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation has decreed that Turkish pilots seeking to work for foreign airlines must obtain letters of consent from their previous employers. The agency has declared that it will hold the application verifications of pilots who resign without first obtaining such letters for six-months.
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