Russia on Monday passed a law allowing the country’s airlines to re-register planes that had been leased from abroad in an attempt to bypass Western sanctions.

The bill, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is intended to support domestic flights in Russia and “to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of activities in the field of civil aviation.”

Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine gave plane leasing firms until March 28 to repossess aircraft from the country.

Russian airlines have about 780 leased jets – with 515 of them leased from abroad.

Most foreign-leased jets operating in Russia are registered in Bermuda and Ireland.

Aviation authorities in those countries had said they were suspending certificates of airworthiness for those planes.

Planes cannot fly without a certificate of airworthiness issued by the civil aviation authority in the country where it is registered.

Re-registering foreign-owned planes in Russia would aim to circumvent that requirement, a source told Reuters.

With Post wires