Information for professional pilots about the proficiency checks and assessments of competences of Russian nationals

Russian nationals are allowed to extend the validity of and renew class, type and instrument ratings based on proficiency checks in Finland when the following conditions are met:

• The person holds a Finnish Part-FCL commercial pilot (CPL) or airline transport pilot (ATPL) licence.
• The person resides in Finland.
• The person has a pending job application with a flight operator that is unaffected by EU restrictive measures against Russia. The flight operator can be either an EU or non-EU operator. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom must be provided with written documentation on the fact that the application is pending, such as an email from the flight operator.
• The class, type or instrument rating is required for progressing in the application process or being employed.
• If extending the validity of or renewing the rating requires refresher training or retaking outdated theory exams, they are allowed.

The fulfilment of these conditions is always assessed on a case-by-case basis. Before carrying out any training or flights, the instructor and/or flight examiner must verify whether the conditions are met by contacting Traficom at lentokoe@traficom.fi.

Other considerations

The training, testing and checking of students whose training is sponsored by a flight operator unaffected by the restrictions or who are attending an MPL (multi-crew pilot licence) course of a flight operator unaffected by the restrictions is allowed.

Parachuting, firefighting and towing flight operations carried out under a flying club are allowed. Operating as a flight instructor at a pilot school (ATO) or flying club (DTO) is also allowed. The effects of the restrictions on private flying are discussed in greater detail in the press release “Changes in the interpretation of restrictive measures against Russian nationals and persons with dual EU-Russian citizenship in aviation” published on 28 March. 

In Finland, the national competent authority referred to in EU sanctions regulations is the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The implementation of the sanctions in different administrative sectors is handled by ministries, National Enforcement Authority Finland, Finnish Customs, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Finnish Border Guard and the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland, among others.