Canada takes more legal action to possess huge Russian plane stranded at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga

The Canadian government has taken further legal action in seeking to gain full possession of a huge Russian cargo plane that’s been stranded at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga for more than three years.

The Russian-owned Antonov An-124 aircraft in dispute, the world’s largest mass-produced cargo plane, remains on the tarmac at Pearson, where it has been parked since Feb. 27, 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent closing of Canadian airspace to Russian-owned aircraft.

The massive plane, which stands roughly seven storeys tall and is three-quarters the length of an NFL football field, has become a fixture at Pearson and after three years sitting on the tarmac, there’s no clear indication that it’s going anywhere soon.

But that could change as the disputed matter proceeds before the courts.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada told INsauga.com on Friday morning the matter is now in the hands of one of the highest courts in Ontario.

“The Attorney General of Canada commenced forfeiture proceedings by seeking the issuance of a Notice of Application by the Superior Court of Ontario on March 18, 2025,” the spokesperson said in an email. “A person or entity with an interest or right in the seized property has the opportunity to present evidence and participate in administrative and judicial proceedings.”

In the meantime, now 38 months later, the big cargo jet remains a curious sight to numerous daily motorists who speed by on Highway 427 next to Canada’s biggest and busiest airport. It can also be easily spotted by many passengers taking off and landing at the airport.

They’d have a difficult time missing it even if they tried, given the aircraft’s size. The Antonov An-124 is three-quarters the length of an NFL football field, or 75 yards, and its wingspan is five yards greater than that.

And it stands roughly seven storeys in height, or 70 feet.

Attempts by the Canadian government since summer 2023 to deliver the cargo plane from Pearson Airport into the hands of Ukraine continue to be held up in court.

View of the stranded aircraft at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga as of August 2024. (Photo: INsauga.com)

After Ottawa seized the aircraft on June 8, 2023, it revealed its intention to deliver it to Ukraine as part of an aid package.

During an unannounced visit to Kyiv at that time to show Canada’s support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the seized Russian-registered plane would soon be given to his nation so it could never be used by Russia again.

However, Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Airlines, the registered owner of the aircraft, took issue with the seizure and reportedly approached Ottawa later in 2023 to begin discussions about having the cargo plane returned.

Subsequently, the international tug-of-war wound up in Canadian court and the legal tussle continues as summer 2025 approaches.

The Russian airline, per a report in the Wall Street Journal last year, is suing Ottawa as it seeks to show Canadian government sanctions against the Russian owner of the jet are invalid.

Cargo plane was bringing COVID-19 test kits to Toronto

Last August, Volga-Dnepr filed a $100-million claim against the Canadian government, the Wall Street Journal reported, arguing its business has suffered since Ottawa laid claim to the aircraft. The Antonov An-124 cargo plane is one of only 26 in the world.

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

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

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