Ukraine's aviation administration to check airlines for alleged involvement in transportation to Syria

Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has instructed the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine to check information regarding the use of Ukrainian airlines' aircraft in the transportation of Russian troops by the Syrian airline Cham Wings between Damascus and the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

Read alsoIraqi Airways opens Kyiv-Baghdad flightUkraine-registered Khors Air and Dart airlines may be stripped of their licenses for allegedly providing aircraft to entities in Syria, Iran, and Iraq, who fall under U.S. sanctions, the ministry's press service said.

"Over 14 months since January 5, 2017, Cham Wings has made 51 round trips between Damascus, Latakia and Rostov, each time using Airbus A320 jets that can carry up to 180 passengers," the press service said, referring to a report by Reuters.

The flights in and out of Rostov, which no organization has previously documented, are operated by Cham Wings, a Syrian airline hit with U.S. sanctions in 2016 for allegedly transporting pro-Assad fighters to Syria and helping Syrian military intelligence transport weapons and equipment.

The Airbus aircraft that once belonged to mainstream European and U.S. aviation companies, then were passed through a web of intermediary companies and offshore firms to Middle Eastern airlines subject to U.S. sanctions, the report said.

In particular, 84 used Airbus and Boeing aircraft were either acquired or leased by Khors and Dart. Of these 84 aircraft, at least 40 have since been used in Iran, Syria and Iraq.

"If the information has been confirmed following checks by the State Aviation Administration, the infrastructure ministry will recommend that the government and the National Security and Defense Council include these companies and their owners in the sanctions list, while their licenses shall be cancelled," Omelyan stressed.