UN agencies or missions and humanitarian organizations see their movements led after planes and helicopters have been prohibited from theft by the organization of international civil aviation due to their registration.
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This is an unexpected consequence of war in Ukraine. In four African countries, thousands of kilometers from the Theater of Operations, notably in Sudan and Burkina Faso, agencies or missions of the United Nations (UN) but also, by ricochet, humanitarian organizations have seen their trips led, since Thursday September 15, for lack of planes and helicopters nailed to the ground by the Organization of International Civil Aviation (OACI) due to their Russian registration.
It all starts in early March with the first international sanctions inflicted on Russia which has just attacked Ukraine. One of the measures applies to civil aviation, granting until March 28 to aircraft rental companies to terminate all the contracts signed with their Russian customers, airlines using their leasing devices. Of the 980 passenger transport aircraft operated by Russia, 750 were then rented to companies mainly recorded in Ireland or Bermuda.
Russia had quickly taken over the aircraft concerned before allocating a new registration – Russian, this time – without the previous one having been radiated by their initial owners. Moscow also delivered, unilaterally, the authorization of their exploitation on international links. So many initiatives as the Chicago Convention relating to international civil aviation prohibited since it was adopted in 1944.
“These aircraft continued to be used without a valid navigability certificate, valid radio station, and in the absence of a guarantee that the associated controls were carried out”, notes the OACI in a note from the 1
The UN explores alternative solutions
Russia had until September 15 to get into the row. Without Moscow response to the expiration of this period, the OACI has issued “a significant security ballot in terms of security”. Simultaneously, “all peacekeeping missions and UN agencies in the world have been asked to abstain immediately to load [in equipment] of commercial aircraft registered in Russia Federation until further notice”, Specifies Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of the UN Secretary General, who adds: “The Russian commercial air fleet under contract with the UN consists of forty-one helicopters (thirty-seven mid-8 and four mid-26 ) and three Antonov AN-74 planes-cargo planes, in support of ten peacekeeping operations and political missions in the world, 22 % of its fleet “. The UN explores alternative solutions. “It will take time and cost more,” slips a connoisseur of the file.
In Burkina Faso, the only three helicopters used by the World Food Program (PAM) and humanitarian NGOs are mid-8, manufactured and registered in Russia. Their immobilization took everyone short. The NGOs were informed by email of a “possible interruption of operations” on September 13, only.
“Why was it not better anticipated?” Amazes a humanitarian source wishing to keep anonymous. Like others, it fears a “dramatic impact on populations in this country where 3.5 million inhabitants (out of a total of twenty million) need help. In some places NGOs were the only ones Take charge, “worries our interlocutor. Two replacement helicopters have just arrived in Ugadougou from where they should resume their rotations in the coming days.