A B747-8F leased by BOC Aviation to Russia’s AirBridgeCargo has been returned to the United States after the lessor won an order by a US court to repossess the aircraft.
Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows Bermuda-registered VQ-BFE (msn 60118) was returned from Hong Kong International to San Bernardino, California on March 25, 2022.
This followed after a US judge signed an order allowing BOC Aviation to repossess it, reported Reuters.
BOC Aviation and its lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
As reported, on March 14, BOC Aviation had laid a complaint against AirBridge Cargo for the return of the leased freighter after its hull war reinsurance was cancelled on March 7 by Lloyd’s Aviation Underwriters Association. This was in line with sanctions imposed by the European Union on February 25 in protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
BOC Aviation said AirBridge Cargo had breached lease agreements for two other B747-8Fs - VQ-BFU (msn 60117) and VP-BIN (msn 60119) – when it ignored instructions from the lessor to ground them in China. Instead, the cargo carrier had flown them to Moscow, even after the airworthiness certificate of one of the aircraft had been suspended.
VQ-BFU flew from Shanghai Pudong, China via Dubai International (UAE) to Moscow Sheremetyevo, Russia on March 6, while VP-BIN flew directly from Zhengzhou, China to Moscow on the same day, according to their flight tracking status.
According to media reports, Volga-Dnepr Group has suspended operations at AirBridgeCargo and fellow subsidiary Atran (V8, Moscow Vnukovo) and furloughed some office staff because of the Western sanctions.
“Volga-Dnepr’s management is working together with its partners and regulators to find possible solutions under the current situation,” the privately held company said in a statement.
AirBridge Cargo operates a fleet of seventeen aircraft, according to the ch-aviation fleets module, including four B747-400ERFs, twelve B747-8Fs, and one B777-200F.
