The crew of an Azur Air Ukraine plane have abandoned the aircraft after bringing the last group of Ukrainian refugees from Egypt to Solidarity Szczecin-Goleniów Airport in Poland. The crew members told the airport staff that they were no longer working for the carrier. If the owner does not request to get the aircraft back, it will most likely be sold.
An Azur Air Ukraine Boeing 737-800 arrived at Goleniów airport from Egypt on Thursday (March 17), carrying Ukrainian refugees who had gone for vacation to Africa before Russia's attack on Ukraine. After the war broke out, they was no way for them to return home. More than 4,000 refugees have made it to Goleniów this way.
After the last flight, the plane crew left the airport along with the passenegers. They told the airport staff that they were no longer employees of Azur Air Ukraine.
"We are searching for information on the owner. If we find it, we will notify the carrier. If he doesn't pick up the aircraft, we will contact the Civil Aviation Authority and ask about ways to sell it," said Solidarity Szczecin-Goleniów Airport spokesperson Krzysztof Domagalski.
He added that they had never seen a situation in which the crew would abandon a plane.
EU closes airspace to Russian planes
International sanctions also affected companies renting their planes to Russian carriers. In line with the EU sanctions, said companies are bound to terminate this kind of contracts by March 28.
The largest company of this sector - AerCap Holdings - confirmed in late February that it would comply with the EU sanctions. The company also informed that Russian carriers were renting approx. 100 of its 2,000 planes. Among its clients was Azur Air, but also Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Rossija Airlines, and Ural Airlines.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24