Bermuda, which has registered more than 700 Russian airlines, has announced that it will violate their certification because it cannot “faithfully acknowledge” its security.

The economic sanctions against Moscow carry some of the burden of air travel. Already banned from the skies of NATO member states and the European Union, hundreds of aircraft from Russian companies registered in Bermuda lost certification on Saturday, leading to a broader flight ban.

The Bermuda Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement that the Western embargo on Russian aviation for the occupation of Ukraine “had a significant impact on the continued security checks of aircraft operating in Russia.” Of the more than 1,600 aircraft on Russia’s merchant ship, she declares that “all flight certificates” of these hundreds of aircraft will be “suspended with confidence” until Sunday.

More than 700 aircraft are registered in Bermuda, making it the largest registered Russian airline in the archipelago, ahead of Cyprus and Ireland.

More spare parts

“At the moment, they say, they can not guarantee the ability of Russian companies to support flight safety,” explains Michel Merlusio of AIR, a specialist firm. In the process, “aeronautical authorities (…) will certainly say, ‘We do not need your aircraft’,” the expert adds, adding, “If you make the right repairs, you can fly to Russia, although the Russian aeronautical authority can say well. The Russian regulator has asked to register.

If the safety of Russian aircraft cannot be guaranteed, this is because Western sanctions will prevent Airbus and Boeing from selling spare parts to Russia and ensure the maintenance of these aircraft. Without this essential assistance, the flight of these planes would not have “lasted long,” predicts Michel Merluso.

As the FlightRadar Air Traffic Monitoring site shows, 100 Russian planes registered in Bermuda continued to fly the day after they lost their certification.

Leased aircraft to European companies

Of the Russian merchant ships, 900 aircraft are leased by specialized companies, of which more than 500 are stationed in the European Union, especially in Ireland. In light of Western sanctions, these companies are expected to take over their equipment by March 28th. 101 and 89 aircraft leased, respectively, to S7 Airlines or Aeroflot.

Here alone, on March 8, only 24 aircraft leased by European companies from Russian companies were found, said Dean Gerb, dean of Valkyrie BTO Aviation. Bloomberg.

It should be noted that Russian companies had anticipated that the European airspace would be closed by the return of their aircraft to Russia. The Russian parliament has also introduced a bill barring western leasing companies from returning them. This now seriously complicates the responsibility of their owners. To the point where many now expect their devices to never be seen again.

“As we talk more with insurers and others at this conference, it seems clear that these flights will never return,” said George Dimitrov, a consultant at Ascend Syria.

The value of European aircraft leased to Russian companies is estimated at $ 12 billion. But if these aircraft are not reclaimed by European leasing companies, it will quickly melt away as they cannot provide proof of regular maintenance.