Antonov An-124 captured on Volga-Dnepr in Canada

A cargo plane Antonov An-124-100With license plate RA-82078 from a Russian company specializing in goods Volga Dineb AirlinesCaptured after arriving with a ship at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) in Canada. Tools For COVID-19 tests from China ordered by the Canadian government. The plane arrived in Toronto via Anchorage on February 27, and while it was there, sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine went into effect, so the government immediately stopped it.

Between Sanctions imposed by CanadaLike other European countries and later the United States, Russian planes have been banned from flying in Russian airspace to disable air traffic. So the plane was left in storage in Toronto, and everything indicates that it will be there for a good season, according to reports from Canadian Transport Minister Omar Agra. Through FlightRadar24 Airport, the plane has certainly not taken any action since arriving at Toronto Airport.

For its part, the airline said in a statement to the newspaper GeographyWho has completed all the formalities to take the plane back to his site:

Volga-Dnieber Airlines operates a series of charter flights for the benefit of the Government of Canada, supplying important COVID-19 related products from China.

To create a return aircraft, the ban on Russian aircraft being able to fly in its airspace requires an exemption from the Canadian government.

Russian-registered Antonov An124 is now parked on Taxiway N in Toronto. It will sit here indefinitely. They were scheduled to leave this morning because of the cancellation. Arrived Sunday from China via Russia & Anchorage. Russian flights are banned in Canadian airspace.
Volga-Dnepr RA-82078 https://t.co/OGXNFInAQU pic.twitter.com/3rfxhRDUs5

– Tom Podolec Aviation (omTomPodolec) February 28, 2022

Volga-Dnepr operates eleven An-124 aircraft, of which only 3 are currently active, one of which is the hijacked aircraft, serial number 9773054559153 and manufactured in 1996, which is currently 27 years old. The airline has 16 aircraft, all of which are its own, and various subsidiaries such as Airbridge Cargo, Adron and Cargologic Air are based in London.

In addition to the seizure of An-124, the Canadian government last week banned the departure of a private plane from Yellowknife Airport in the Northwest Territory because it contained Russian passengers. Technically the plane could not enter Canada, but the nationality of the passengers was known until it landed at Yellowknife from Geneva. This is the Dassault Falcon 900EX registered by the International Jet Management Company in Austria. The ban also includes aircraft owned, operated or leased by Russian companies or citizens.

Photo: Caribbean