Due to Western sanctions, the Russian cargo carrier Volga-Dnepr Group has stated that two of its companies, AirBridge Cargo and Atran, will cease operations. The group's 24 aircraft will be grounded in total.
Impact
Due to Western sanctions, the Volga-Dnepr Group has halted all flights utilising Boeing aircraft, the firm said on Friday. The company revealed that two of its companies, AirBridgeCargo and Atran, which operate entirely with Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 freighters, had ceased operations.
Volga- Dnepr’s decision influenced by Bermuda's Civil Aviation Authority's (BCAA) decision to revoke safety certificates for AirBridgeCargo and Atran's fleets.
An Antonov An-124 from Volga-Dnepr was seized by Canadian officials last week. On February 27, the plane arrived in Toronto with a load of COVID-19 testing kits. The impoundment, along with other measures, is in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
According to statistics published by ch-aviation, AirBridgeCargo has a fleet of 18 aircraft. Four Boeing 747-400s, thirteen Boeing B747-8Fs, and one Boeing B777-200F are among the airline's aircraft. Two B747-8Fs are owned by Volga-Dnepr Airlines, while the others are leased by Aircastle, Aviation Capital Group, BOC Aviation, DAE Capital, GECAS, and SB Leasing Ireland.
Atran's fleet consists of nine planes, including three Boeing 737-400(SF) and six Boeing B737-800 (BCF). GECAS has leased at least seven of the nine planes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a measure earlier this week that allows foreign aircraft leased by Russian airlines to be registered in Russia. The Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Cape Town Treaty both prohibit having a plane with dual registrations.
In terms of its fleet, the Volga-Dnepr is unaffected by Western sanctions. The cargo airline has 16 aircraft, all of which were built in Russia. There are eleven Antonov An-124s and five Il-76TDs on board. The freight aircraft has also been evading the European Union's ban on Russian aviation by delivering fuel for nuclear reactors in Slovakia via special operations.
