CargoLogic Germany suspended from EU airspace
CargoLogic Germany has been told it is no longer permitted to fly in European Union airspace while sister company CargoLogicAir has not conducted a flight for almost two weeks.
Flight tracking websites show that UK-registered CargoLogicAir’s two Boeing 747-400Fs are currently parked at Los Angeles International and Frankfurt Hahn having conducted their last flights on March 11 and March 10 respectively.
CargoLogic Germany’s fleet of four Boeing 737Fs are listed as being stored at Budapest, Katowice, Helsinki Vantaa and Ostrava Mosnov with no flights in at least the last seven days.
The move comes as a series of sanctions affecting the aviation industry have been put in place by western countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
CargoLogic Germany told Air Cargo News that it had been informed by the German Federal Aviation Office on March 11 that it is not currently permitted to enter European Union airspace, except for emergency landings and emergency flyovers.
“The reason for this move is the current political situation and related sanctions,” the company said.
“We very much regret this decision and are currently engaging in intensive talks with all relevant authorities and stakeholders.
“These discussions aim to allow our German company, headquartered in Leipzig, to resume flight operations as quickly as possible as a reliable partner and employer.
“Please understand that we cannot pre-empt the outcome of these tasks. Nothing will change for our approximately 110 employees until flight operations resume.”
Both airlines are subsidiaries of UK-based Cargo Logic Holding, which according to financial filings is owned by Alexey Isaykin, a Soviet-born entrepreneur with Cypriot citizenship.
Isaykin is a director of both CargoLogicAir and Cargo Logic Holding; US national Konstantin Vekshin is also a director of CargoLogicAir.
Additionally, Isaykin is president of Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group, and a director of Volga-Dnepr UK, while Vekshin is chief executive of Volga-Dnepr Group.
CargoLogic Germany stressed that it is entered in the Leipzig Commercial Register as a German company, pays its taxes and duties in Germany, has German employment contracts, has an independent German management team, and operates in compliance with German law, German standards, and German responsibilities.
“Despite our international business ties and partnerships, we are and remain a completely independent and German company,” the airline added.
“Airfreight is an international business model. As such, CLG cultivates international business ties and partnerships with around 12 countries, including Russia. “
Air Cargo News has contacted CargoLogicAir but has yet to receive a response.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority said that CargoLogicAir holds a valid operating licence and AOC.
Also, when the UK announced an airspace ban for Russian carriers in late February, the Department of Transport had pointed out that CargoLogicAir is a UK-registered business with an air operator certificate (AOC) issued by the country’s Civil Aviation Authority.
The Volga-Dnepr Group works closely with both CargoLogicAir and CargoLogic Germany with the relationship between the various carriers in the group described as a strategic partnership.
Volga-Dnepr Group includes cargo carriers Volga-Dnepr Airlines, AirBridgeCargo and Atran.
AirBridgeCargo and Atran earlier this week confirmed that they had taken the decision to ground their fleets in light of sanctions requiring lessors to cancel lease deals with Russian airlines and the decision of Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCCA) to suspend all airworthiness certificates for Russian aircraft on its registry.
Damian Brett www.aircargonews.net