Russia is due to return hundreds of aircraft leased from overseas on Monday, but lessors are worried they won’t see the planes, as Moscow’s new sanctions-related regulations allow the country to decide their fate unilaterally.
Lessors scrapped Russia’s lease contracts earlier this month and demanded that it return 500 planes flown by its airlines, following sanctions that banned the supply of aircraft over the conflict in Ukraine.
Bermuda and Ireland, where most of the planes are registered, have suspended airworthiness certificates which, under usual circumstances, means the aircraft should be grounded. However, according to IBA consultancy, most of the planes are still flying on Russia’s domestic routes.