Another attempt has been made to “land” Russian aircraft: planes may be banned from flying due to the termination of reinsurance contracts. It is obvious that the government will solve this problem inside Russia, but with foreign flights everything is much more complicated. And so much so that Rosaviatsia ordered all Russian airlines to suspend flights abroad from March 6.
Here is the statement of the regulator in this regard: “In connection with the unfriendly decisions of a number of foreign countries on civil aviation of the Russian Federation, Russian airlines and passengers have become an instrument and hostage of the political struggle. Restrictive measures imposed, contrary to the provisions of international air law and the basic principles of the Chicago Convention, continue to increase with regard to the civil aviation of the Russian Federation. In addition to restrictions on the use of airspace, foreign states participating in sanctions impose additional restrictions, which are expressed in the arrest or detention of aircraft of Russian airlines registered in foreign states and owned by foreign lessors.
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In this regard, Rosaviatsia recommends that Russian airlines that have aircraft registered in foreign registers under a leasing agreement with a foreign organization are as follows:
- from 00.00 Moscow time on 06.03.2022 to temporarily suspend the transportation of passengers and goods from points in Russia to points in foreign countries;
- from 00.00 Moscow time on March 8, 2022, temporarily suspend the transportation of passengers and cargo from points in foreign countries to points in Russia. “
This recommendation is due to the high risk of detention or arrest of aircraft of Russian airlines abroad, the regulator explains. The restrictions do not affect:
- Russian airlines that operate foreign or Russian-registered aircraft and there is no risk of their arrest or detention;
- foreign airlines of countries that have not joined the sanctions and have not restricted air communication with the Russian Federation.
As for the reinsurance of liners, according to Kommersant, European lessors have refused to insure Russian aircraft, and their decision could lead to a direct ban on the use of aircraft in Russia. “Most Russian airlines have received notifications from European lessors about the termination of reinsurance contracts on the night of March 8,” Kommersant said. They also added that the national carrier has already managed to “turn around” – the Aeroflot group agreed on the possibility of reinsurance of risks in RNPK (Central Bank structure), but the lessor “Victory” refused to include a new reinsurer in the contract. “At a meeting of insurers and carriers at the Association of Air Transport Operators on March 3, it was discussed that RNPK is” fundamentally ready to reinsure the risks of all Russian insurers working with air carriers, “Kommersant experts added.