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UN civil aviation body ICAO set to meet this week

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Russia wants ICAO to ease sanctions imposed in 2022

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Russia says sanctions are 'unlawful coercive measures'

By Gleb Stolyarov and Allison Lampert

Sept 22 (Reuters) - Russia is urging the U.N. civil

aviation agency to ease sanctions on spare parts and

overflights, dismissing its response to the war in Ukraine as

"unlawful coercive measures," according to working papers and a

source familiar with the matter.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western

sanctions have cut off access to foreign-made aircraft and spare

parts, leaving Russian airlines to source parts for more than

700 mostly Airbus and Boeing ( BA ) jets on complex,

indirect import routes.

Russian authorities are now trying to negotiate relief from

sanctions, particularly on spare parts, which they say are

critical for flight safety, a source in Russia's aviation sector

told Reuters.

RUSSIAN MOVES A CHALLENGE FOR ICAO ASSEMBLY

Russia's efforts are creating a challenge for a meeting in

Montreal this week of the International Civil Aviation

Organization, which sets global safety standards for civil

aviation and has condemned Moscow for violating Ukraine's

airspace sovereignty and its dual registration of aircraft.

Russia made its request to the ICAO after the United States

lifted sanctions on Belarusian state carrier Belavia last week

that had been imposed following Minsk's support for Moscow in

its invasion of Ukraine.

In working papers submitted before the ICAO's triennial

assembly starting on Tuesday, Moscow has said the sanctions run

counter to global rules. Russia is also trying to gain election

to ICAO's 36-state governing council after failing to win enough

votes in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.

As the world's largest country, Russia depends heavily on

commercial aircraft for domestic freight and passenger transport

across its 11 time zones, but recent incidents suggest Russia's

fleet is degrading.

In late July, a Soviet-era Antonov An-24, built in 1976,

crashed in Russia's far east, killing all 48 people on board.

Days later, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot grounded

dozens of flights following a crippling cyberattack.

"Unlawful coercive measures violate the human right to

freedom of movement regardless of nationality and citizenship,"

one Russian working paper said.

"The ICAO is required to take all practical measures to

prevent states from applying politically biased discriminatory

and coercive measures in the field of international civil

aviation."

RUSSIA HAS A FLEET OF AGING AIRCRAFT

The documents also criticise the closure of 37 states'

airspace to flight operations of Russian airlines, the

suspension of certificates of airworthiness for aircraft

operated by Russian airlines and bans on aircraft maintenance

and insurance.

Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya did not respond to a

Reuters request for comment and the Transport Ministry declined

to comment. Ukrainian authorities were not immediately available

to comment.

Russia's fleet of Boeing ( BA ) and Airbus aircraft is aging, and

not all parts can be imported through so-called "grey" schemes,

the Russian aviation source told Reuters, meaning a significant

portion of Western aircraft could be grounded.

"If in the near future a Russian Boeing or Airbus crashes

and people die - what then? In any case, it will be blamed on

sanctions," the source said.