As part of the sanctions against Russia, the USA wants to exclude 100 aircraft from international air traffic today. Reuters was able to see a list of 99 aircraft from the US manufacturer Boeing and the Gulfstream G650 from the oligarch Roman Abramovich that the US Commerce Department wants to take action against. It is believed that the planes were used to circumvent US export controls.
The Boeing jets are operated by Russian passenger and cargo airlines, including Aeroflot, AirBridge Cargo, Utair, Nordwind, Azur Air and Aviastar-TU. Under the plans, the Department of Commerce will warn companies around the world that refueling or servicing the planes will violate US regulations. This could be punished with imprisonment or fines and the loss of export rights.
A statement from the ministry said that international flights with these machines would be prevented. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimando told Reuters the US would not allow Russian and Belarusian companies and oligarchs to travel with impunity if they violated American laws.
Russia responds
For its part, Russia’s largest cargo airline Volga-Dnepr is suspending all flights with Boeing machines because of Western sanctions. The company says it is stopping operations at its subsidiaries AirBridgeCargo and Atran, which use 18 Boeing 747s and six Boeing 737s. The company continues to use Russian cargo planes.
Russian airlines can register foreign-leased aircraft as their property and obtain Russian operating licenses. This is provided for in a law signed by President Vladimir Putin on the transfer of ownership of foreign leased aircraft. This is Russia’s response to Western sanctions, which oblige leasing companies to terminate contracts with Russian airlines by the end of March. As a result, a large part of the aircraft fleets in Russia are grounded.
