A massive Russian cargo plane that has been stranded at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga for more than four years is staying put after a Federal Court judge rejected the aircraft owner’s latest attempt to challenge Canadian sanctions.

The Antonov An-124, one of the world’s largest cargo aircraft, has been grounded at Pearson since February 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine and Canada closed its airspace to Russian-owned aircraft.

The Canadian government subsequently seized the plane on June 8, 2023, as part of its sanctions against Russia. Ottawa has said it wants to eventually transfer the aircraft to Ukraine as part of Canada’s support for the country.

Now, the legal fight over the plane’s future continues.

Volga Dnepr Airlines, Russia’s largest air cargo carrier and the registered owner of the aircraft, asked the Federal Court to review the federal government’s decision to maintain sanctions against the company and its former chairman.

The airline had applied in 2023 to be removed from Canada’s sanctions list, arguing that it had refused to carry military cargo since 2018.

The federal government rejected the request, saying the airline has benefited from Russian government contracts and subsidies and has helped Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime circumvent sanctions.

The judge has now rejected the company’s bid for sanctions relief.

The massive aircraft has consequently remained stranded at Pearson, where it has become a familiar sight to motorists travelling along Highway 427 and Silver Dart Drive.

The Antonov An-124 stands approximately 70 feet tall, stretches about 225 feet in length and has a wingspan of roughly 240 feet. It is considered one of the world’s largest mass-produced cargo aircraft.

The plane originally arrived at Pearson on Feb. 27, 2022, carrying a shipment of COVID-19 test kits from China. It had reportedly stopped in Anchorage, Alaska, to refuel before making its way to Mississauga.

It never left.

The aircraft was initially grounded following Canada’s closure of its airspace to Russian aircraft after the invasion of Ukraine. More than a year later, Canada seized the plane.

The seizure has since become part of a much larger international legal battle.

Volga Dnepr Airlines has been attempting to regain control of the aircraft through an international arbitration process, while the Canadian government has pursued legal steps to take full possession of it.

In 2025, Canada began a forfeiture process involving the aircraft.

The latest court decision does not mean the legal dispute is over, however. The plane remains on the Pearson tarmac as the competing claims over its future continue to work their way through the legal system.

For now, the enormous Russian aircraft remains a permanent-looking fixture at Canada’s busiest airport — and one of the most visible reminders in Mississauga of the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

– – with files from The Canadian Press


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