Russian aircraft remain blocked: more than three years of standstill at German airports!

Russian aircraft remain blocked: more than three years of standstill at German airports!

In recent years, the aviation landscape in Germany has changed significantly due to the EU sanctions against Russia. Since February 28, 2022, i.e. for more than three years, numerous aircraft stationed in Germany have no longer been allowed to fly. The strict sanctions introduced against the background of the war in Ukraine have tied these machines to the ground and quite a few of them have become a “flying” burden.

As the Free press confirmed, there are currently seven aircraft stranded in Germany due to these sanctions. There are three Antonov AN-124 cargo planes from the Russian company Volga Dnepr at Leipzig/Halle Airport, while a Boeing 737 from the cargo airline Atran and a Bombardier Challenger 300 from the airline Utair are parked in Cologne/Bonn. A Boeing 747 from the British company CargoLogicAir, which filed for bankruptcy in 2022, is also waiting at Frankfurt/Hahn Airport.

The challenge of accommodation costs

There are currently many uncertainties for airlines and leasing companies. The daily accommodation costs for the delinquent machines are unclear and collection seems a long way off. As the daily news reports, the Irish-Chinese leasing company that owned an Airbus A320 from Aeroflot had already paid 470,000 euros to settle fees before the aircraft could finally take off from Ostrawa in the Czech Republic after more than 800 days at Munich Airport.

In recent years, the owners of the Antonows in Leipzig/Halle have also had to consider how they can cover the costs of storing their aircraft. The situation is complicated by the fact that during maintenance work on the Antonovs even the engines were removed and their whereabouts are unclear. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Transport has confirmed that there are other known aircraft in Germany, but no information can be given about their ownership.

Further developments in the wake of the sanctions

The federal government played a central role in the area of ​​sanctions. After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, a special task force was created to enforce the sanctions, which was transferred to the newly founded Central Office for Sanctions Enforcement (ZfS) in 2023. This is responsible for tracking down and arresting the assets of sanctioned individuals and companies.

A curious touch comes with a Hawker 800XP private jet, which has been at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport since October 2020 and is assigned to the late Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Having previously come into the focus of the US authorities, the German government was asked to fix the jet, which was legally controversial. The accommodation costs for this jet currently amount to around 37,000 euros, which are only due when the aircraft actually wants to take off.

The situation surrounding the Russian aircraft shows how complex and multi-layered the world of aviation and international relations is. Whether and when these planes will ever fly again remains to be seen. What is certain is that the sanctions have far-reaching consequences for aviation in Germany and beyond its borders.