A Russian Plane Has Been Parked At Pearson Airport For Months & Its Bill Is Over $94K

One plane is racking up quite the serious parking bill with Toronto Pearson Airport.

The Antonov AN-124, a cargo plane owned by Russian airline Volga-Dnepr, has been grounded at Toronto's airport since February 27, when the Canadian government banned all Russian aircrafts from entering the country's airspace. This call was made shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Since the plane was grounded nearly 90 days ago, the owner has been charged 74 cents per minute to keep it parked at Pearson Airport, according to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority's aeronautical fees.

"To save you doing the math, the cost works out to $1,065.60 for each 24-hour period," a spokesperson from the GTAA, Tori Gass, told Narcity via email.

It has been exactly 89 days since the plane was grounded, which means that its parking bill is currently at a grand total of $94,848.40. Ouch. And that's before all applicable taxes are weighed in, so the fees are likely over $100,000 by this point.

Gass couldn't provide any additional details regarding the exact amount the owner owes at this point, as they don't publicly disclose the terms of the GTAA's commercial dealings.

Per CTV News Toronto, the cargo plane touched down in Canada from China through Anchorage and Russia, and it was set to jet off shortly after it landed in Toronto before its flight was indefinitely cancelled.

Transport Canada's response

"The aircraft is unable to depart in Canadian territorial airspace as it would be in violation of the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM)," a spokesperson for Transport Canada told Narcity via email.

All aircrafts, regardless of where it was registered, that are directly or indirectly owned, chartered, leased, operated or even controlled by someone connected with the Russian Federation are prohibited under this notice, according to the feds. Transport Canada said they have alerted Russian authorities about the ban, too.

"The NOTAM remains in place, and there are no plans to make revisions or change the NOTAM at this time," the spokesperson said.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.