3 days Ago By Aaron Spray
According to an article appearing in the German news outlet Bild , an Aeroflot Airbus A320-200 departed Munich Airport only after paying a 460,000 Euro (or $493,000) parking fee. While the story is being reported now, the aircraft left Munich Airport in mid-June. The aircraft became stranded at the airport following the outbreak of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Aeroflot remains one of the airlines currently banned from European airspace . Almost $500,000 in A320 parking fees The Aeroflot Airbus A320-200 did not belong to Aeroflot but was leased from the Chinese company, "CMB Financial Leasing." According to Bild, the aircraft is eight years old and has 158 seats, and the company wanted it back to lease out to someone else (the normal leasing rate for an A320 is around $257,000).
However, German authorities would only allow it to be flown out if the parking ticket was paid. "The story began on February 27th with the landing of the Airbus plane from St. Petersburg, three days after the Russian attack on Ukraine .
Because German airspace was closed to Russian aircraft shortly afterward, the plane had to remain on the ground - for a total of 834 days." - Bild Bild suggested that the parking fee could be the most expensive in history. At the time the aircraft became stranded, it made headlines but was soon forgotten.
But lost in the background, the aircraft was incurring parking costs of between 340 and 560 euros a day. After sitting idle for over two years, the A320 had to undergo extensive maintenance before being permitted to take to the skies again (the German Federal Aviation Office also had to confirm it was airworthy). The aircraft was recently observed parked at a fence at Terminal 2.
The former Aeroflot A320 departed Munich Airport on June 10 and flew to the Czech Republic. It is unclear which airline is operating the aircraft now. Separately, Canada also seized a Russian An-124 cargo aircraft as part of the sanctions (the An-124 is the largest military transport in the world).
Canada is reportedly mulling donating the strategic lifter to Ukraine (where it was manufactured in the Ukrainian SSR). Domestic Russian commercial jets are being delayed as they are re-designed with Russian-built parts. Ongoing crisis in Russian commercial aviation industry As with other European airspace (and Canadian and US airspace), German airspace remains closed to Russian airlines.
Russia has reciprocated and banned Western airlines from operating in its airspace. While Western sanctions have been devastating for Russia's aviation industry, the closure of Russian airspace has been problematic for European and North American flights to China ( Canadian flights to China are now down 91% and US flights 74% compared to pre-COVID levels ). Russia is managing to keep its Boeing and Airbus aircraft flying despite being cut off from replacement parts or official maintenance services.
Unable to purchase international airliners to replace its Boeing and Airbus passenger jets, Russia is rushing to restart its domestic airliner industry. However, it needs to substitute Western parts and engines for domestic parts. This is causing aircraft (like the one-heralded) MC-21 to be almost 6 tons heavier with less range and less efficiency .
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