Federal Court of Canada Rejects Volga-Dnepr Appeal, Grounding Cargo Jet at Pearson

OTTAWA, ON — The Federal Court of Canada issued a comprehensive decision on Tuesday dismissing an application for judicial review brought by Russian cargo carrier Volga-Dnepr Airlines, upholding the Canadian government's sanctions and forfeiture seizure of an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft.

Sanctions Framework and Judicial Findings

The aircraft, one of the world's largest commercial heavy-lift cargo planes, has been grounded at Toronto Pearson International Airport since February 2022 when Canada closed its airspace to Russian-owned aviation in response to the invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, the federal government issued a formal seizure order under the Special Economic Measures Act.

Justice Cecily Strickland ruled that the Minister of Foreign Affairs acted within lawful statutory discretion, concluding that the seizure and planned asset forfeiture did not violate international aviation treaties or administrative fairness standards.

Diplomatic and Asset Forfeiture Implications

The ruling clears a major legal hurdle for the Government of Canada to transfer ownership of the multi-million-dollar cargo aircraft to the Government of Ukraine to support civil logistics and reconstruction operations.

Volga-Dnepr had accumulated over $1.2 million in municipal parking fees at Pearson Airport during the four-year grounding.

Next Legal and Operational Steps

Attorneys for Volga-Dnepr indicated they plan to appeal the decision to the Federal Court of Appeal. Transport Canada confirmed the aircraft remains in secure federal custody at Pearson Airport.