BLUF
As a result of sanctions against Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin authorized the seizure of hundreds of Western-built aircraft leased and operated by Russian airlines.Summary
This article by Eric Tegler, writing for Forbes, makes the following points:
- Russian companies have 650 Western-built aircraft on lease, of which 487 are non-Russian owned.
- These aircraft were either operating in Russia or returned there from abroad shortly after sanctions came into force.
- European sanctions require lessors to cancel their leases with Russian airlines by March 28, giving Western lessors a short window to repossess their planes.
- Russia's maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities are well established, and Russia can train aviation technicians.
- Some analysts, but not all, believe the Russian-seized airliners should be able to fly for the next six months—possibly even a year—assuming sanctions remain in place that long.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
- RUSSIAN-UKRAINE CONFLICT—RAAF RUNWAY COLLECTION
- RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC.
References from the Web:
- MAR 2022 Sanctions may ground Russia's planes, but the firms that own them can't get them back—NPR
- MAR 2022 Flying on Russian planes is about to get much more dangerous—CNN Business
Source Information:
- Article Source: Forbes
- Media Check: Forbes - Media Bias Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
