In a recent development, Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviation, has warned several airlines about the potential risk of foreign aircraft seizures. As a result, several international flights are experiencing significant delays.
According to Aviatorshina telegram channel, Vladimir Poteshkin, the Deputy Head of Rosaviation, recently sent telegrams to multiple airlines cautioning them about the possibility of some of their aircraft being seized at foreign airports. In these telegrams, he requested carriers not to schedule the mentioned aircraft for international flights, as reported by a source who had seen one of Rosaviation’s messages.
Another source explained that Rosaviation had received a confidential warning regarding possible aircraft seizures involving Russian airlines in foreign countries. This served as the primary reason for Vladimir Poteshkin’s telegram distribution.
However, as clarified by a third source, Rosaviation has not yet prohibited airlines from departing Russia using the aircraft listed in the telegrams, even though there is a risk of seizure. According to this source, the agency has shifted the responsibility entirely to the airlines themselves. They must decide whether to operate these aircraft on international routes, taking into account the received warning.
This uncertainty has already resulted in the delay of at least two flights operated by S7 Airlines: Irkutsk to Bangkok and Novosibirsk to Dubai. The first was postponed by 12 hours and later by the same duration. S7’s customer service center informed journalists that the flight would depart once the authorities granted permission. The Dubai-bound flight has been postponed by nearly 20 hours.
According to our information, emergency meetings regarding the new risk of Russian airlines’ aircraft seizures will take place today at Rosaviation and the Ministry of Transport. They aim to determine whether there is a genuine risk of aircraft seizures at foreign airports following the received warning by the end of the day.
