easyJet faces $72 million lawsuit over six Russian-linked Airbus jets

easyJet is facing a High Court claim seeking at least $72 million over six Airbus A319s it stopped leasing from a Russian state-owned lessor, according to reports in the Financial Times.

STLC Europe Eight Leasing Limited, an Irish company within the former international leasing operation of Russia’s State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK), has filed the claim against easyJet in London’s High Court.

The case centres on six aircraft whose leases easyJet terminated in 2022 following sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The aircraft were subsequently stored in Madrid and Cyprus. 

The lessor claims easyJet improperly abandoned and neglected the aircraft, causing their values to drop while airport charges accumulated. easyJet disputes the allegations and has said it intends to defend the claim in full.

According to the court claim reported by the Financial Times, the lessor is seeking at least $36.7 million in unpaid rent and interest and $32.5 million for alleged loss of aircraft value, as well as €2.8 million in airport charges.

easyJet terminated six Russian-owned aircraft leases

The dispute dates to the first months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

easyJet told the lessor in April 2022 that it was terminating the leases because sanctions prevented it from maintaining or repairing the aircraft, according to reports on the claim.

easyJet has independently confirmed that it terminated six Russian-owned leases. In its 2022 Annual Report and Accounts, easyJet said it had worked with its legal team to ensure it had up-to-date information on sanctions affecting its operations and assets.

The airline added: “In addition, we terminated lease agreements of six aircraft that were ultimately owned by the Russian state.”

The aircraft were six Airbus A319s leased through STLC Europe Eight.

Crucially, the jets had already been out of easyJet passenger service for around two years. Bloomberg reported in April 2022, citing Cirium fleet data, that all six A319s had been in storage since March 2020. The Bloomberg report said the aircraft were more than 11 years old at the time.

Lessor argues sanctions did not prevent maintenance

Whether sanctions prevented easyJet from continuing to maintain the aircraft will likely be central to the case.

The European Union introduced sweeping restrictions on Russia’s aviation industry through Council Regulation (EU) 2022/328 on 25 February 2022.

Among other measures, the regulation prohibited supplying aviation goods and technology to Russia or for use in Russia. It also restricted services such as aircraft overhaul, repair, inspection, replacement, modification and defect rectification.

The EU included GTLK in its sanctions list on 8 April 2022. 

The Russian Federation, represented by its Ministry of Transport, was identified as GTLK’s sole shareholder, with GTLK Europe listed as one of its associated entities.

STLC Europe Eight nevertheless argues that the restrictions did not prevent easyJet from maintaining the six aircraft because the jets were outside Russia and the leasing company was incorporated in Ireland.

Three aircraft sold, three remain in Madrid

Three of the six A319s stored in Larnaca, Cyprus, were eventually recovered and sold. However, the lessor alleges the aircraft deteriorated in storage and that their eventual sale resulted in losses. It is seeking $32.5 million for the alleged loss in aircraft value.

The other three aircraft remain in Madrid and have yet to be sold, according to reporting on the High Court claim.

The litigation is also connected to the collapse of GTLK’s Irish leasing operation.

Ireland’s High Court ordered GTLK Europe DAC and GTLK Europe Capital DAC into liquidation on 31 May 2023. The companies’ liquidation website confirms that Damien Murran and Julian Moroney were appointed joint liquidators.

At the time, creditors argued that sanctions had severely affected the businesses. The liquidators have subsequently been trying to recover and dispose of GTLK Europe’s international assets for the benefit of creditors.

Russian aircraft disputes continue through courts

The easyJet lawsuit results from the upheaval in aircraft leasing caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions.

Much of the litigation so far has concerned aircraft owned by Western leasing companies that were operating in Russia when sanctions were imposed and could not subsequently be recovered.

In June 2025, London’s Commercial Court issued a major judgment covering insurance claims brought by AerCap, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise and other lessors over aircraft lost following the invasion.

The High Court’s Russian Aircraft Lessor Policy Claims judgment found that aircraft covered by the proceedings had effectively been lost following Russian government measures introduced in March 2022 and that relevant lessors were entitled to recover under war-risk insurance policies.

GTLK’s Irish liquidation has generated separate litigation over how sanctions affect the administration and disposal of assets ultimately connected to the Russian state.

The easyJet case turns the more familiar Russian aircraft-leasing dispute on its head. These six aircraft were outside Russia and accessible in the European Union. One of the central questions is whether sanctions entitled easyJet to terminate the Russian-owned leases and what obligations it retained towards the aircraft after doing so.

With STLC Europe Eight seeking at least $72 million and easyJet saying it will defend the claim in full, the High Court will now test those questions.