Ukrainian/Russian Aviation

California Dreamer

This would be a nice place to discuss the aviation side of things.

Couple of things that caught my eye recently, this article from Michael O'Leary.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/02/ryanair-will-be-first-airline-to-return-to-ukraine-says-ceo?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1646219118

"O’Leary said Ryanair was flying humanitarian cargo in the belly of its planes “for the first time in 30 years” to Polish airports, liaising with Ukrainian embassies."

I would have thought given their network size they would have offered free flight to Ukrainians trying to reach other family across Europe but I see that Wizz Air is offering rescue flights.

https://hungarytoday.hu/wizz-air-refugees-free-tickets-ukrainian-war/

Tracking the Oligarchs private jets is another good one. I saw the twitter page when it had 3000 followers. It is now up to over 240k.

https://twitter.com/RUOligarchJets

Finally watching the aeroflot flights on FR24 is showing some really interesting routes to avoid european airspace.

Caranica

https://twitter.com/EuroAirshow/status/1498538528430563330?s=20&t=jiJzCqtwCs66jnYyKaM1nQ

Here's the full text from their Facebook post:

”We have received some extremely shocking and sad news from Ukraine this morning.

Colonel Oleksandr “Grey Wolf” Oksanchenko who was the Ukrainian Air Force Flanker display pilot between 2013-2018 has lost his life on Friday night when his jet was shot down over Kyiv by Russian S-400 Triumph Air Defence Missile System.

Col. Oksanchenko was not only a very experienced pilot who won a number of awards for the best flying display at many events across Europe, but he was also a true fan of airshows. Despite leaving the active service and joining the reserves in late 2018 he volunteered to remain in the Ukrainian Flanker Solo Display Team as a coach/advisor and travelled with the team during the 2019 display season which was also the last airshow season for the team.

He came out of retirement to defend his country from the Russian invasion and paid the highest price. Col. Oksanchenko was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine by the president of the Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Blue skies sir and thank you for all your amazing displays!

#StayStrongUkraine #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦

California Dreamer

Good job by the Air Corps. Although it really does strengthen the case for a dedicated transport aircraft.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/military-aircraft-assisting-operation-to-bring-surrogate-babies-born-in-ukraine-to-ireland-1.4816764

Nibs05

Question, there’s talks of aircraft leasing company’s getting their aircraft back, could we see Russian planes flying back here ?

California Dreamer

Aeroflot suspends all international flights.

https://www.axios.com/russias-aeroflot-suspend-international-flights-6589b0d3-7e29-4f3b-9da8-7cbc192bac9f.html

California Dreamer

I suppose there is a chance aircraft could come here given the number owned by Irish lessors.

https://youtu.be/lVvMP0nclVQ

fryup

***No Fly Zone****

I'm clueless about all things aviation so I thought this would be the place to ask this question...

exactly how can a NFZ be administered?? and why are NATO key to it?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118738474#Comment_118738474

By shooting down anyone who breaches it, and because NATO are the only entity that could arrange that. But I'd suggest Military to discuss this; this forum is more civil aviation - not exclusively but a discussion on this would get very in to other, non aviation, military topics quickly.

Shiok

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118737124#Comment_118737124

Worth bearing in mind the planes are not Russian (or in any way considered to be Russian), they are just painted in a Russian airline’s livery.

Contract ferry pilots are used by lessors to move aircraft - an Aeroflot pilot will not be coming to Ireland to drop back his rented car & hand in his keys to Avis!

If retrieved, it’s extremely unlikely the lessors have onward homes and the aircraft would go into maintenance and storage, with many facility options dotted around Europe / closer to Russia, Ireland would not necessarily be the first choice.

Noxegon

The billion dollar question is whether they will be retrieved any time soon. I can't imagine that it'll be straightforward to get them back.

smurfjed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118741315#Comment_118741315

I believe that it’s a $12 billion question, with close to $5bn related to Irish companies.

goingnowhere

The obvious solution is to fly out to Russian friendly location, so China, India, UAE and then re-reg to EI or whatever country the lessor wants

Aeroflot have stopped all international flights, even though there are routes they can fly, so either they can't pay down route fees in hard currency or don't want to risk the aircraft getting impounded.

skipper756

Anybody notice these flights this morning?

Flight Radar.docx

FR2.docx

skipper756

The Helicopters in the above post were all Ukrainian National Guard and the planes were undesignated

Noxegon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118749528#Comment_118749528

You're assuming the Russian airlines plan to return the aircraft. That's far from certain at the moment.

JohnC.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/09/finland-gps-disturbances-aircrafts-russia

Reports of GPS disturbance around Kaliningrad and the Finland-Russia border.

munchkin_utd

Antonov An-225 Mriya (the destroyed plane) now "flying" around Kiev with the call sign FCKPUTIN on flightradar.

https://twitter.com/GDarkconrad/status/1502206007124049920/photo/1

vegandinner

Did Wizz manage to repatriate their 4 planes stranded in Ukraine?

https://simpleflying.com/wizz-air-repatriate-planes-stuck-in-ukraine/

can’t find anything recent on it

coastwatch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118741315#Comment_118741315

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118749154#Comment_118749154

NY Times article on this. It seems there is little prospect of recovering leased aircraft from Russia. Even the leased aircraft grounded outside of Russia may be worthless without the maintenance records, which would be with the airline companies in Russia.

Looks like it's all about the insurance now.

https://nyti.ms/3I4V8CW

Stallingrad

Anyone know why US refueling planes are regularly circling near the Ukraine border?

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118780122#Comment_118780122

At the risk of stating the obvious, I think it is safe to assume it is because they are refuelling aircraft operating in that area (west of the Ukraine border).

Stallingrad

Indeed. I am wondering what aircraft though? There don't seem to be any western military aircraft routinely in the air there.

joujoujou

I am pretty sure there are military aircraft over there, but we'd never know what, when, where and why. ;-)

California Dreamer

This does not shock or surprise me one bit!

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/unforgivable-ryanair-accused-of-hiking-ticket-prices-for-refugees-fleeing-war-torn-ukraine-41449592.html

California Dreamer

Putin is keeping the Irish leased aircraft. Sure just change the law.

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/russians-to-hold-on-to-leased-irish-jets-41446931.html

Tenger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118780160#Comment_118780160

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118782895#Comment_118782895

You can regularly observe similar refueller activity off the UKs North Sea coast.

The refueller shows up on FR24 but the fast jets themselves don't.

EchoIndia

On ADS-B Exchange the receivers around the UK generally do show, but not so much in actual operations, for obvious reasons.

emo72

is the big giant antonov definitely destroyed?

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118802854#Comment_118802854

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058234570/antonov-225-reportedly-destroyed#latest

Noxegon

Yes, it has been destroyed.

There are pictures of it here:

https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/antonov/an-225-mriya/the-antonov-an-225-mriya-destroyed-by-n-fire-in-its-hangar-in-ukraine/

GM228

It seems our favourite Ukrainian pilot Dmytro Antonov and the Antonov company have had a major public falling out over the destruction of Myria.

Dmytro blamed Antonov management for the destruction of the AN225 in his latest video:-

https://youtu.be/AFTJyCtYRRs

And a few hours ago Antonov released this statement on their official FB page (for some reason this new version of Boards does not seem to allow links to FB posts):-

"Dear public!

In this difficult time, when our country is trying to divide the merciless tanker, when our colleagues, relatives, acquaintances lose their homes, friends, relatives, and employees of the DP "ANTONOV" defend the Motherland in the banks of the Armed Forces, when in our eyes a grresor destroys everything that has been put into our team's lifetime effort, we we have no moral right for any treacherous actions that could cause the situation surrounding our home enterprise to worsen.

As a result of hostile actions of Russia, the airport complex in Gostomel was destroyed, the An-26, An-74 aircraft and the flagship of the An-225 "Dream". Now each of us is asking ourselves: what can I do for my home business?

On the eve of the war, employees of ATP DP "ANTONOV" worked in aural mode and already on the evening of February 23 the sixth engine on An-225 was installed so that on the 24th morning "Dream" could fly to the m. Leipzig. The fifth plane An-124 took off from the Gostomel Airport on February 23 at 23.51.

But the morning of February 24 brought its terrible corrections. And although all the staff involved in the flight went to work in the morning, the air space was closed, Antonov Air Force employees were hit by airstrike, some were killed, some were injured, and all the possibilities of the flight were full I'm blocked by the truth.

And now it turns out that Dmitry Antonov - the one who has been sitting at home all this busy time, not a word or a matter of a finger by not hitting the firm's survival case, drives out on a white horse in people and with a face of anger tells that the enemies are around, "vs" ьo gone " and he alone knows everything for The Truth and the Wrong.

We go back to the first question: "What did YOU do to prevent this situation?" Although, as the first deputy of the airline in flight service, in fact the second person in management, could have made the most effort and, if considered the extreme level of danger, arrange an An-225 flight at least a day earlier. But let Dmitry Antonov answer this question to himself and people. Where was he and what did he do in these critical days of February up to a few weeks before and why refused to leave a job after the war started?

And now, with a look at what happened, pretend to be a shining knight over the entire team, praise the people who developed, built, tested, and then, after the collapse of the 90s, restored this magnificent plane and put it on the wing, show the floor Zri in "inadequate patriotism" from his home sofa, disgusting and doesn't fit the boss, which thanks to the daily labor of thousands of Antoniv residents, decided to show himself in the internet space as the only one who rejoices for our share, not personal Dream. And continues to boast at the expense of the whole team.

Dmytro Antonov provides false information about the fact that the management of DP "ANTONOV" is in Leipzig. Since February 24, the CEO of DP "ANTONOV" - Bychkov Sergey and his deputies have been in workplaces and work 24/7, not leaving the territory of the company.

We, the employees of the "ANTONOV" company appeal to the people of Ukraine, to all the airmen of the world, who care about the fate of our country, its technical potential and people's achievements, please, in the background of our present national-freedom war, be watchful. Unfortunately, not all people in this difficult situation can stand the pressure of war around and support themselves and others. But we know that it will pass, dust will blow the wind of history and we will together restore the strength of the ANTONOV firm against the plans of the alien"

GM228

There are currently 3 AN124s in the air (over Germany, Poland and on en route to Shannon from Washington) belonging to Antonov, but none are transmitting the usual data anymore, anyone know why the remaining Antonov A124s are no longer transmitting proper identification etc on FR24?

EchoIndia

FR24 will know - you could probably message them to ask.