Canada’s seizure of the Volga-Dnepr’s An-124 casts doubt on country's international business practices

Volga-Dnepr Airlines unexpectedly encountered a pirate hijacking of its aircraft seized in Canada — a country once chosen to host the main international aviation organizations ICAO (The International Civil Aviation Organization) and IATA (International Air Transport Association). As per received information, the privately-owned aircraft has been illegally inspected and is intended to be transferred to third parties.

Is has been more than three years since the civil cargo aircraft An-124-100 (reg. number RA-82078) of Volga-Dnepr Airlines has been unable to take off from Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada. On February 27, 2022 the plane operated a humanitarian flight to Toronto, but after unloading it was prohibited from leaving Canadian territory due to the distribution of a newly issued NOTAM (notice to flight personnel) prohibiting the Russian airlines from using the Canadian airspace. The aircraft was subsequently illegally seized by the authorities. In August 2024, 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. We delivered vital cargo with COVID-19 test kits from China to Canada. The flight was carried out as part of life-saving logistics mission aimed at overcoming the pandemic, its consequences and protecting global population in tandem with other countries. Previously we had organized and operated similar flights around the world, for example, to Germany, France, China. In all the cases, 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. After the flight ban, the Canadian government has had its own plans in terms of the plane although without legitimate grounds it could not proceed. Sanctions came as a solution as they justified and ‘covered’ real intentions. Back in June 2023, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to hand over the Russian An-124 cargo plane to Ukraine, and now we are seeing real attempts of pirate takeover.

Lately we have been receiving alarming reports and photos demonstrating illegal attempts to get aboard our aircraft by unauthorized personnel. 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. In short, sanctions and specially amended SEMA (Special Economic Measures Act) are being used as a tool to carry out the country’s government’s plan of illegal takeover’, emphasized Igor Aksenov, General Director of Volga-Dnepr Airlines.

The An-124-100 is a unique ramp aircraft capable of transporting a wide range of cargo for all sectors of the global economy. Space satellites, aircraft engines, generators, turbines, helicopters, railway locomotives, various oil and gas equipment and much more — these are just a few examples of cargo which cannot be transported aboard other freighters existing nowadays. There are simply no equivalents of such aircraft in the world, they are not manufactured and will not be replaced by new aircraft type within the next 10-15 years. It was Volga-Dnepr Airlines that contributed to the creation of the civil version of this aircraft and managed to gain and keep unique knowledge on its operations, as well as transportation of various unique oversized and superheavy cargo.

Aircraft under reg.number RA-82078, as well as other planes within Volga-Dnepr’s fleet, have been repeatedly charted to advance the Canadian economy. Over the past 10 years, Volga-Dnepr Airlines has organized and operated more than 250 flights to/from Canada delivering around 9,500 tons of oversized cargo for the realization of industry-specific projects. Canadian organizations have collaborated with the airline, valuing its economic, technical and project logistics expertise. In 2017, Volga-Dnepr Airlines operated 21 flights in the interest of a mining company to the unpaved Arctic airfield ‘Mary River’ (Northern Canada) to deliver tractors, trailers and semi-trailers to a nearby field factory. At that time, no airline in the world could offer a complex solution for transportation of all the necessary equipment to a hard-to-reach airport with limited ground infrastructure under severe Arctic weather conditions.

In addition to commercial flights, Volga-Dnepr has always responded promptly to humanitarian requests, actively participating in organizing rescue logistics missions. As part of assistance to the population of Haiti, which suffered from a powerful earthquake in 2021, the airline organized and operated charter flights aboard its fleet of An-124-100 and Il-76TD-90VD to deliver around 110 tons of humanitarian cargo. Five flights were performed, including the one from Hamilton, Canada to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The international market of unique oversized cargo air transportation has been shaping up over several decades, with the main driver of its development being available fleet of An-124. Currently, most global market players agree on the problem of capacity shortage. This in its turn causes delay in implementation of many industry-specific projects due to the impossibility of organizing prompt air delivery of technically complex cargo. Intention to transfer the Volga-Dnepr’s plane to third parties ‘under a specious excuse’ for its further commercial operations should be considered as an act of piracy.

The return of the An-124 to Volga-Dnepr Airlines will stimulate harmonization of market balance, have a positive impact on the stability of supply chains, and will keep the reputation of Canada as a country that adheres to international law and does not encourage forcible takeover of private property.