The Russian United Business Aviation Association (RUBAA) is seeking to broaden its membership base during this week’s Jet Expo show in Moscow. The group changed its structure earlier this year so that it is no longer confined to representing purely Russian aircraft owners and operators. It now wants to attract the support of international business aviation manufacturers and service providers.

“I think that consolidation [of membership] is positive and helps us to defend our common interests and better present our views to the authorities,” RUBAA chairman Alexander Kuleshov told AIN. “For instance, [charter] brokers already have their own committee in RUBAA, which tries to provide self-regulation for this market sector.”

On the eve of the 2012 Jet Expo show, RUBAA also renewed its call for the removal of all import taxes on foreign-made business aircraft, having earlier won the suspension of these tariffs on aircraft with empty weights of between 2 and 20 metric tons (4,400 pounds and 44,000 pounds). In particular, it wants the 20-percent tax lifted for lighter aircraft on the basis that these could bring the benefits of general aviation to numerous smaller airfields around Russia. The group is continuing its lobbying of the Russian parliament to persuade members of the transportation and customs committees that the country stands to benefit from unconstrained business aviation growth.

RUBAA also is stepping up efforts to help Russian authorities introduce more appropriate regulations for the vast country’s growing business aviation sector by drafting proposed rules. “I must admit that the state’s power in this area is rather amorphous,” Kuleshov commented. “It has a shortage of highly qualified specialists with the right competence, and this makes it hard for them to make the right decisions.”