Grounded Russian jet racks up CHF 1,6m Geneva Airport bill

A Russian plane, grounded in Switzerland since February 2022, is stuck at Geneva Airport, racking up a hefty fine amounting to 30.000 Swiss francs per month.

Russian Aeroflot plane grounded in Switzerland

What was meant to be a short European layover has become a costly problem for a Russian airline. In February 2022, an Airbus A321 landed in Geneva just three days after Russia invaded Ukraine. With European countries quickly shutting down their airspace to Russian flights, the plane has since been stuck collecting dust, according to Blue News.

The return flight to Russia, operated by Aeroflot, was subsequently cancelled, and over four years later the plane is still at Geneva Airport, claiming the title of one of the “longest layover[s] in aviation history.”

Airbus A321 likely to be sold for parts

The plane is now thought to be falling into disrepair, with meals onboard that are well out of date, and it most likely needs new engines, wheels and electrical components.

This isn’t the only problem, however, as the plane is accumulating a parking fee that could be well over 1 million francs. Geneva’s airport director Jean-François de Saussure mentions a monthly fee of around 30.000 francs to park a plane at the airport, but it’s unclear whether or not this particular bill has been settled.

What the future holds for the Airbus is also unclear. The Irish subsidiary of the Russian state leasing company GTLK, which leased the plane, has been liquidated, so the plane will likely be “sold in parts”.