Putin tillater utenlandske flygere

Putin lets Russian airlines hire foreign pilots


Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for a meeting with Ben van Beurden, chief executive officer of Royal Dutch Shell, at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow April 18, 2014. 

(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Monday that allows Russian airlines to hire foreign pilots, a move the Kremlin said was needed to end a shortage of pilots on civilian flights as passenger numbers grow.

The law signing comes five months after 50 people were killed in the crash of a Tatarstaapriln Airlines jet, blamed on pilot error, which highlighted concerns that Russia does not have enough pilots to meet growing demand.

"The (new) federal law is designed to liquidate the deficit of commanders to civilian aircraft," the Kremlin said in a statement. It said the number of passengers air trips had been increasing by 13 to 15 percent a year.