On Friday, Russia announced that its biggest cargo airline Volga-Dnepr Group is planning to suspend all flights of Boeing aircraft, as a consequence of the Western sanctions.
Sanctions have cut off the supply of most aircraft and parts to Russia. The United States and Europe have closed their airspace to Russian airlines, and Moscow has responded by imposing the same measure on them.
Volga-Dnepr said in a statement it had stopped operations of two of its subsidiaries — AirBridgeCargo and Atran — that use 18 Boeing 747 and 6 Boeing 737 airplanes due to sanctions and a decision by Bermuda’s Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) to terminate their safety certificates.
“The management of Volga Dnepr has made a conscious decision to find a possible solution together with partners and state regulators,” it said.
Volga-Dnepr, which describes itself as the world leader in the oversize and heavy cargo market, continues to fly Russian-made aircraft including An-124 and Il-76 cargo jets.
In conclusion, Russia implemented a law that allows the national airlines to place leased aircraft from foreign companies on its aircraft register, a move that is most likely to increase Western fears of a mass default involving hundreds of aircraft.
