Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing airlines to continue operating commercial planes heretofore owned by foreign lessors, the Wall Street Journal reports. While the move makes official the expected fucking over of the mostly Ireland-based companies that own the planes, it’s almost purely perfunctory as they will not be airworthy with sanctions the constant maintenance and parts changes modern commercial aviation requires for safe operation.
Of course that may not stop Russian authorities from threatening to kill the families of airline pilots who refuse to knowingly take off in a 757 with a left aileron that’s been flown 175,000 kilometers past its useful life and take down 150+ passengers and flight crew with them.