Russian outsize freight specialist Volga-Dnepr Airlines has described the Canadian measures to seize one of its Antonov An-124s as a “pirate hijacking”.
As a result of Canadian sanctions on Russian carriers, the aircraft been parked at Toronto since February 2022, and legal efforts are taking place to confiscate the jet and transfer it to Ukrainian authorities.
Volga-Dnepr says it tried to negotiate with Canadian authorities but without success and, in August last year, initiated arbitration proceedings over the “expropriation” of its property.
The Russian airline argues that the An-124 was conducting a “humanitarian” flight, transporting medical kits from China in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Humanitarian missions have always been considered neutral cases that are outside the political context,” says the chief executive Igor Aksenov.
He says the private company has an “impeccable reputation” for its logistics services, and has provided them “in good faith”.
“We see only a violation of all international business rules, a lack of communication and illegal retention of private property,” he adds.
Russia’s government itself illegally retained and re-registered dozens of foreign-owned aircraft used by the country’s carriers. Leasing companies have subsequently agreed insurance settlements over a number of them.
Aksenov claims Canadian sanctions and new legislation are being “used as a tool” to “illegally seize” the An-124, and he notes the apparent intention to transfer it “under a plausible pretext” to “third parties”.
He says there is a shortage of capacity in the outsized cargo transport sector, and returning the jet to Volga-Dnepr would have a “positive effect” on logistics-chain stability and maintain Canada’s reputation “as a country that adheres to international law”.
Antonov, the design bureau which developed the An-124 during the Soviet era, is situated in Ukraine. The company’s facilities at Kyiv’s Gostomel airport were badly damaged during a Russian assault in the early days of the Ukrainian conflict, which also destroyed the sole An-225 – the heavy six-engined transport derived from the An-124.
