News / Volga-Dnepr claims 'pirate' Canada has 'hijacked' its stranded aircraft

Volga-Dnepr, the Russian operator of AN-124s, has called Canada’s attempt to give one of its aircraft to Ukraine a hijacking.

The company has been offline in most of the western world, but contacted The Loadstar to lash out at the plan for one of its AN-124s, which has been held at Toronto Airport since February 2022 after delivering Covid-19 test kits.

It said: “Volga-Dnepr Airlines unexpectedly encountered a pirate hijacking of its aircraft seized in Canada, a country once chosen to host the main international aviation organisations ICAO and IATA. As per received information, the privately owned aircraft has been illegally inspected and is intended to be transferred to third parties.”

After unloading its humanitarian cargo in 2022, the aircraft was prevented from leaving Canada following the distribution of a newly issued NOTAM prohibiting Russian airlines from using Canadian airspace after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

Since then, Canada has been attempting to take ownership of the aircraft in a bid to transfer it to Ukraine.

In August, said the airline, “after unsuccessful attempts to negotiate the issue with the Canadian authorities, Volga-Dnepr Airlines initiated investment arbitration proceedings in connection with the expropriation of its business in Canada and other illegal actions by the authorities”.

“From the very beginning, we tried to interact with the Canadian authorities based on previously established business communications in accordance with international business rules. Humanitarian missions have always been considered neutral cases that stand apart from the political context.”

It added: “Volga-Dnepr, an airline with a 35-year impeccable reputation for doing business, acted as a private company that dutifully provided high-quality logistics services. As a result, we have only seen violation of all international business rules, lack of communications and illegal retention of private property.”

It said it had received “alarming reports and photos demonstrating illegal attempts to get aboard our aircraft by unauthorised personnel”.

Igor Aksenov, general director., added: “Any technical works or maintenance operations performed by unqualified aviation specialists can lead to serious damage to the aircraft. This situation leaves our company, as well as international community and other companies still working in Canada, utterly baffled.”

Volga-Dnepr seems caught between a rock and a hard place. Former president and founder Alexei Isaikin was sanctioned by the UK government, following a deal he had signed with the mayor of Moscow in April 2022. The deal, under “President [Putin]’s instructions”, according to Russian media, was for Rb9.5bn ($167m), to see Volga-Dnepr carry some 20,000 tonnes of freight of “critical importance”, including medicines and equipment, by the end of the year.

However, once Mr Isaikin had been sanctioned, he was forced to remove himself from the airline. It is understood that the company now also no longer has the backing of the Russian state. The Loadstar understands that its offices were raided earlier this year.

One Russian air cargo expert said: “if you play with fire you will get burned. Isaikin’s big mistake was the deal with the Moscow mayor and all the AN-12 and Ilyushin flights to the UAE, India, and China. He allowed all that publicity; after that, attacks on him started inside Russia and out.”

There was also a government-sanctioned raid at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport in February, which resulted in Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, being given temporary control of all key services at the hub – effectively state seizure of the country’s third-largest airport.

The airport is owned by DME, a holding company controlled by Russian businessman Dmitry Kamenshchik, but the Russian government has sued Domodedovo Airport over alleged undisclosed ownership and privatisation issues.

Volga-Dnepr and sister airline AirBridgeCargo (ABC) are keen to restart global services. In April, ABC said it may resume operations this year, and was  “monitoring the changing geopolitical situation and expects that in 2025 there will be an opportunity to implement plans to resume operational activities”.

Its focus is expected to be “partnerships in countries friendly to Russia”, but the main concerns will be over its fleet.

According to Russia’s Interfax news agency, ABC has kept its 14 Boeing aircraft stored “in accordance” with manufacturer requirements, and is negotiating to settle lease obligations. Its Russian AOC is currently suspended.