Expansion of flights of Russian airlines to Africa is possible only if there are guarantees of aircraft safety, including guarantees that aircraft will not be arrested upon arrival. This was stated by the head of Rosaviatsia, Alexander Neradko, during his speech at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg.
According to him, today the air fleet of Russian civil aviation has 1,166 aircraft engaged in passenger transportations. This number is sufficient not only for stable service of current routes, but also for the development of new directions of international air traffic, including with African countries.
“At the same time, our carriers need guarantees that their aircraft will not be detained or arrested on the territory of the continental state, as well as that they will receive the necessary maintenance and refuelling with aviation fuel,” said the head of Rosaviatsia.
Alexander Neradko also reminded that today 186 foreign-made aircrafts are exempted from double registration. This allows them to safely perform flights abroad, and those African countries, where Russia already performs flights, have provided such guarantees.
Neradko explained that the need to require such guarantees arose after the arrest of a Russian Volga-Dnepr Airlines aircraft at Toronto Airport in February 2022.
“The Volga-Dnepr aircraft, the largest cargo plane in the world, which brought humanitarian cargo to Canada at the request of the Canadian government, was detained at Toronto airport and is still under arrest at Canada’s airport, more than a year later,” he said.
Earlier, the Canadian government ordered the arrest of the Russian An-124 aircraft for confiscation and its subsequent transfer to Ukraine.
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