MOSCOW, April 21. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian civil aircraft will take to the skies with foreign pilots in the cabin, a move designed to tackle a shortage of trained personnel, new law states.

President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill to seat foreigners at the controls. It was passed by the State Duma on April 4 and approved by the upper house Federation Council on April 18. New regulations amend Article 56 of the Russian Air Code and Article 14 of the federal bill on legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation.

Recent years have drained Russian civil aviation of qualified pilots, a deficit blamed on dwindling numbers of graduates from flying schools, the three- to eight-year training period and a heavy annual toll of some 700 pilots leaving the industry, the bill's authors said in explanatory documents.

The law is intended to eliminate the deficit commanders civil aircraft in terms of increasing the number of air transport (13-15% annually).

Foreign citizens will now be admitted as chief pilots of Russian aircraft owned by Russian juridical entities or private entrepreneurs. To meet conditions of the new law, job offers must be made within five years of its provisions taking effect and a limit is imposed on the number of foreign staff who can be brought into service.