EasyJet is facing a High Court claim in London from STLC Europe Eight, an Irish unit of Russian state-owned lessor GTLK Europe, over at least $72 million tied to six Airbus aircraft left in Madrid and Cyprus after lease termination in 2022. The dispute centres on whether EU sanctions justified easyJet’s decision to end the leases and leave the aircraft without maintenance or repair.
Three of the jets, stored in Larnaca, were later recovered and sold, but fetched at least $32.5 million less than expected because of their condition. The other three aircraft remain in Madrid and have not been sold. Airport storage charges also continued to accumulate while the aircraft were parked.
easyJet plans to defend the claim in full. The case adds to the aviation sector’s sanctions-related legal disputes and could raise questions over lease payments, asset losses and storage costs linked to aircraft stranded outside Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.