Boris Johnson’s government has used new aviation sanctions to impound a private jet in Hampshire, after making it a criminal offence for Russian planes to enter UK airspace.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said airport operators can now detain a Russian aircraft, or one suspected of being chartered by a Russian, under a sanctions law tightened in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
“Last night, I signed a law which closes off some of those loopholes to do with trying to work out the ownership of some of these aircraft,” Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast.
The minister added: “There is one such aircraft on the ground at the moment at Farnborough that I’ve essentially impounded whilst we carry out further investigations for the last few days – and it’s very important that we have the laws available to enable that to happen.”
The Telegraph first reported that the government had revoked the flight permit and was trying to establish the private jet’s links to a Russian oligarch.
“We know that it isn’t a Russian company that holds the aircraft, it’s rather a Luxembourg-registered aircraft,” Mr Shapps told LBC Radio.
He added: “We are carrying out further checks before releasing it and what we won’t do is allow any Russian oligarchs to pass on that jet when it does eventually go.”
A government source said the aircraft “was transporting a wealthy Russian and the ownership of the aircraft is now the subject of an investigation”.
The source added: “The aircraft will only be allowed to leave Farnborough if the inquiry shows it is not a Russian owned or controlled jet.”
The new measures to strengthen action against Russian aircraft mean it is a criminal offence for any to fly or land in the UK.
The ban includes any aircraft owned, operated or chartered by anyone connected with Russia or designated individuals or entities – and will include the power to detain any aircraft owned by persons connected with Russia, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Banning Russian flagged planes from the UK and making it a criminal offence to fly them will inflict more economic pain on Russia and those close to the Kremlin,” foreign minister Liz Truss said.
Mr Shapps said the latest moves would help “suffocate Putin’s cronies’ ability to continue living as normal while thousands of innocent people die”.
The new sanctions will also prevent aviation and space related exports including insurance and re-insurance.
This will mean cover is withdrawn on existing policies and British-based insurers and reinsurers will be unable to pay claims on existing policies in these sectors, according to the Foreign Office.
Meanwhile, Mr Shapps said the issue of supplying MiG-29 jets to Ukraine was a matter for Poland and the US to discuss, saying the UK had “not been involved in this particular loan idea”.
The Pentagon has rejected Poland’s offer to give the US its MiG-29 fighters, with the intention of them then being passed to Ukraine.
“That is an issue for the Polish and the Americans directly,” the transport told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We will, of course, want to support Poland, who are right on the front line there, in any way that we can.”
