CAA suspends CargoLogic Germany from its airspace

The German civil aviation authority (Luftfahrt Bundesamt – LBA) has suspended the operations of CargoLogic Germany (GCL, Leipzig/Halle) in its airspace as of March 11, 2022, as a corollary of sanctions imposed on Russian airlines in wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

CargoForwarder Global reported that the German affiliate company of Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group ceased all operations immediately thereafter. The airline disputes the suspension.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the cargo carrier’s four B737-400(SF)s operated their last wave of flights on the morning of March 11, with D-ACLW (msn 25775) the last one to land – at Helsinki Vantaa at around 0810L (0610Z), Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. The other three aircraft are currently parked at Budapest, Katowice, and Ostrava airports. Prior to the suspension, they operated mainly out of Leipzig/Halle.

“We very much regret this decision and are currently holding intensive talks with all relevant authorities and stakeholders. The aim of the talks is to resume flight operations for our German company based in Leipzig as a reliable partner and employer as quickly as possible,” the company told ch-aviation in a statement.

CargoLogic Germany stressed that for the time being, the suspension will not affect its 110 employees. The carrier said that it was a German-registered company, paying taxes and employing people under German law, and managed by an independent German team. It vowed to remain fully German and German-run carrier going forward.

CargoLogic Germany is a subsidiary of the United Kingdom’s CargoLogic Holding Ltd., which is also the parent of CargoLogicAir (P3, London Stansted), which operates one B747-400(FSCD) and one B747-400(ERF). That airline has also remained grounded since March 11. The UK Civil Aviation Authority did not respond to ch-aviation’s request for comment on the status of its OL. The regulator’s website still shows both the Operating Licence and the Air Operator’s Certificate of the carrier as valid.

Although Volga-Dnepr Group, like all other Russian operators, is banned from flying to or over the European Union and the United Kingdom as a result of sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine, CargoLogicAir was not, at least initially, affected by the decision. It is not directly owned by the holding but rather personally by the group’s president, Alexey Isaykin, who is a Cypriot citizen.