According to the Russian Minister of Transport Vitaly Saveliev, 76 Russian planes have been confiscated as a result of the sanctions imposed because of the invasion of Ukraine, “TVP World” reported.
Saveliev expressed his surprise at the sudden decision to confiscate these planes, which were in a warehouse for technical storage, in the process of maintenance abroad, about to perform flights or already ordered and about to be put into service. After the outbreak of hostilities, they were not repatriated to Russia..
Currently, Russia’s aircraft fleet numbers 1,302 aircraft, 1,167 of which are intended for passenger purposes.
Before the start of the conflict, many of the Russian passenger planes were registered in foreign countries and leased to Russian airlines.
Bermuda and Ireland, where a significant number of these planes were registered, revoked the airworthiness certificates of many of them in response to the invasion of Ukraine, effectively blocking nearly $10 billion worth of them in Russia.
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a law allowing leased foreign aircraft to be registered in Russia, making it harder for countries to repossess them.
In March 2022, Saveliev reported that almost 800 aircraft had been transferred to the national registry.
However, this means that the aircraft does not receive software upgrades from the manufacturer. Maintenance, servicing and inspection to company standards are also affected.
Russia is trying to circumvent sanctions and find ways of replacing Western-made parts and equipment to keep its aeronautics industry in business.
The Russian transport minister also mentioned that Russian airlines have resumed flights to 11 countries that have guaranteed not to confiscate their planes. He explained that negotiations for compensation for these planes and their purchase had been hampered by “the ban and the lack of desire on the part of foreign countries”. Sevliev stressed that due to the lack of these aircraft, Russia will be left without a viable aviation fleet.
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