World’s largest cargo plane officially seized from Russia from Pearson Airport and heading to Ukraine

Prime Minister Trudeau made his second surprise visit to the Ukraine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is committing another $500 million to help Ukraine’s military fight back against Russia’s invasion, including by sending more weapons.

He made the announcement standing beside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today during an unannounced visit to Kyiv to show Canada’s support for the embattled country’s fight against Russia amid signs a long-awaited spring counteroffensive could be underway.

The PM also mentioned that the Antonov 124 Cargo plane sitting at Pearson Airport in Mississauga has officially been seized by the Canadian Government.

Russian registered Antonov An124 is now parked on Taxiway N in Toronto. It will sit here indefinitely. They planned a departure this morning,since cancelled.Arrived on Sunday from China via Russia & Anchorage. Russian aircraft are banned in Canadian airspace.
Volga-Dnepr RA-82078 https://t.co/OGXNFInAQU pic.twitter.com/3rfxhRDUs5

— Tom Podolec Aviation (@TomPodolec) February 28, 2022

Trudeau says they are in the process of forfeiting the plane to Ukraine so it can never be used by Russia again.

The large Russian-owned cargo plane has racked up more than $425,000 in parking fees after being grounded at Pearson Airport in Mississauga since Feb. 27, 2022.

The huge aircraft landed at Pearson on the morning of Feb. 27, 2022, just before the Canadian government declared the country’s airspace closed to all Russian-owned planes in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

The plane was reportedly bringing a shipment of COVID-19 test kits from China to Pearson, via Russia and then Anchorage, Alaska, where it apparently stopped for refuelling just before its late-February 2022 landing in Mississauga.

Meanwhile, until it’s confirmed the aircraft has been seized and is en route to Ukraine, the meter continues to run toward half-a-million dollars for the Russian owners of the plane. It can be spotted on the Pearson tarmac by motorists travelling on nearby Hwy. 427.

The tab will continue to grow by $1,108.80 each day (77 cents per minute as of implementation of new fees on Jan. 1, 2023), according to Pearson’s aeronautical charges and fees schedule.

The fees are collected by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which runs Pearson, and at the current rate, the parking tab will hit the $500,000 mark by early June if the plane stays grounded.

It’s not known if the owners of the large plane have paid any of the GTAA fees at this point or what, if any, arrangements have been made with Pearson to pay the charges.

Below is one of the initial social media reports back in February 2022 that identified the stranded cargo plane.