State Transport Leasing Company fears the arrest of 37 aircraft abroad after December 20 – Kommersant

The fleet of foreign aircraft used by Russian airlines for flights abroad may be reduced by 37 units after December 20 due to the risk of their arrest at foreign airports. The newspaper reported this “News” with reference to sources. We are talking about liners owned by the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC).

These aircraft were purchased by GTLK Europe (the European subsidiary of GTLK), which, due to sanctions, fell under the liquidation procedure in the spring. The powers of the company’s management bodies have been transferred to external managers (the so-called liquidators), who must, among other things, sell its property to pay off creditors. STLC claims that the liquidators applied to the High Court of Ireland for the “wrongful seizure” of 37 aircraft due to the invalidity of the mortgage agreements, on the basis of which the leasing company took ownership of the aircraft. In December, GTLK filed a claim with the Arbitration Court of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (where the company is registered), which satisfied it and prohibited GTLK Europe and the liquidators from continuing the proceedings in the Irish court.

On December 14, the High Court of Ireland considered the liquidators’ claims on the merits; it will announce the decision tomorrow, December 20, an unnamed source in the Russian Ministry of Transport told Izvestia. If the requirements are met, the mentioned 37 aircraft will not be able to be operated, since they may be declared hijacked abroad, the State Transport Leasing Company warned aviation authorities and airlines. This topic was discussed on December 12 at the Ministry of Transport at a meeting with the participation of Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev, representatives of carriers and State Transport Leasing Company, according to another Izvestia interlocutor. At the meeting, options for solving the problem were considered, but “they did not come to anything concrete,” the publication clarifies.

After the start of the military operation in Ukraine, Russian airlines were banned from using European aircraft, and those leased under old contracts were called upon to be returned. STLC structures fell under EU sanctions in April 2022. In August of the same year, the United States introduced blocking sanctions against foreign structures of the State Transport Leasing Company. In December Reuters reportedthat Russian airlines want to buy back planes stuck due to sanctions. In February 2023, State Transport Leasing Company stated about plans to sell the 37 remaining ones abroad to Boeing and Airbus.

About the situation in the Russian aviation industry – in the material of Kommersant FM “Planes get used to particulars”.

Laura Keffer