The German Ministry of Transport spoke about 10 Russian aircraft detained in February

After the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine and the closure of EU airspace to Russia, ten Russian aircraft remain in Germany. According to the German Ministry of Transport, these include passenger Boeings, cargo An-124s and several business jets, reported RND edition.

The ban on flights from Russia to Germany and over its airspace came into force on February 27. Nearly six months later, ten aircraft owned or controlled by Russia are still on German airfields, writes RND.

“Because the cars are subject to a take-off and flight ban due to the EU sanctions regime, they cannot be used by the owner and cannot be transported to another location,” the German transport ministry told the publication.

In particular, three An-124 aircraft remain in Leipzig, which are used, as a rule, for charter cargo flights. Boeing 737 and Bombardier BD-100-1A10 Challenger 300 cannot leave Cologne. The latter is often used as a business jet or private jet, the agency explained. Airbus A320, leased by one of the Russian airlines, remains in Munich.

In addition, a Russian Boeing 747 is stuck in Frankfurt-Hahn, and four business jets are in Baden-Baden at once: a Cessna 750 Citation X, two Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy 600s and a Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express XRS.

The ministry said the sanctions allow maintenance of the aircraft, but it is only about their “temporary protection”, in particular, from unauthorized access. Provision of spare parts is not included in the list of permitted works.

After the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, flights by Russian airlines throughout the airspace of the European Union, Great Britain and a number of other countries were suspended. The ban affected all aircraft, including private business jets. In response, Russia banned aircraft from 37 countries from flying over its territory, including 28 EU member states.

Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov reported in mid-April that 571 out of 781 foreign-made passenger aircraft were transferred to the Russian register. According to the Ministry of Transport, at the end of March, 972 aircraft were registered in the Russian registry. At the same time, Russian airlines lost 78 aircraft as a result of arrests abroad.

Due to Russia’s refusal to return leased aircraft, the Irish company Avolon suffered losses in the amount of $304 million, and the American Air Lease announced the write-off of 27 aircraft in the amount of $802 million.