Several commercial aircraft have remained stranded at German airports for more than three years because they are not allowed to take off due to EU sanctions against Russia, reported dpa.
The German Transport Ministry confirmed to broadcaster WDR on Monday that the planes have been grounded since February 28, 2022, days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry says the flight ban is in accordance with an EU regulation.
The aircraft in question include three Russian Antonov AN-124 cargo planes located at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany.
A Boeing 737 belonging to the cargo airline Atran and a Bombardier Challenger 300 belonging to the airline Utair have remained grounded at Cologne/Bonn Airport.
A Boeing 747 belonging to the British cargo company CargoLogicAir, which had to cease operations in 2022 due to sanctions related to the war in Ukraine and went bankrupt shortly afterwards, is stationed at Frankfurt/Hahn.
A former Russian-leased Airbus A320 belonging to Aeroflot was stranded in Munich. The Irish-Chinese leasing company that actually owned the aircraft paid the fees of €470,000 incurred and the plane was then allowed to take off for Ostrava in the Czech Republic.
Other aircraft are known to be affected, but no definitive information can be provided due to ongoing investigations into their ownership.
- Russian aircraft
- Grounded
- German airports
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
