Sri Lanka has banned a Russian-operated plane from leaving the South Asian island pending a hearing later this month as Western sanctions continue to disrupt Russia’s travel industry.
The Airbus A330-343 operated by Russian state-owned airline Aeroflot was denied permission to fly to Moscow as scheduled on June 2 amid a legal dispute with a leasing company. The flight had more than 200 passengers onboard.
Celestial Aviation Trading Limited, one of the largest plane-leasing firms, is seeking to confiscate the jet after Russia failed to return its property.
The European Union in February imposed a wide-array of economic sanctions on Russia, including banning the leasing of EU airplanes, after it invaded Ukraine.
The bloc’s sanctions demanded Russia return any aircraft leased from EU firms by the end of March.
Russia had more than 500 aircraft leased from the West out of a total park of about 1,300, according to news agency RBC, meaning fulfillment of the sanctions would have decimated the nation’s travel industry.
President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law in March allowing Russian airlines to seize the leased planes.
Russia’s aviation regulator warned its airlines from flying leased planes abroad amid concern they could be seized.
Leasing companies have confiscated 78 planes operated by Russian airlines since the sanctions were imposed, though nearly all occurred within the first few days.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has demanded Sri Lanka resolve the situation, warning it could hurt bilateral relations. Sri Lanka is a popular destination for Russian vacationers.
A Sri Lanka court will hold a hearing regarding the case on June 8, local media reported.
In the meantime, the Russian passengers have been put up at a hotel by Aeroflot pending resolution of the matter.
