Russia Loses 79 Aircraft to Western Lessors, US Bans Spare Part Exports to 3 Russian Airlines

An Aeroflot-Russian Airlines passenger plane lands at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, on March 12, 2022. U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued orders denying export privileges for Aeroflot. Marina Lystseva/Reuters

Western aircraft lessors have taken back only a limited number of planes from Russia following international sanctions that set a March 28 deadline for such repossessions.

Of the 515 aircraft owned or managed by Western lessors that were placed with Russian carriers before its invasion of neighboring Ukraine, only 79 have been repossessed, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The lessors were able to take back aircraft outside Russia, for example, AerCap recovered a Boeing 777-300ER which landed in Tarbes, France, on March 27.