Courts / Dublin / Report

Leasing firms entitled to documents in battle with insurers over Russian aircraft

Date
2023-11-09
Stage
Appeal
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

The Court of Appeal upheld that several Dublin‑registered aircraft leasing firms are entitled to obtain documents from insurers who have refused to provide indemnity for aircraft "unlawfully retained" in Russia. The aircraft, valued at over one billion euro, were not returned after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The firms—SMBC Aviation Capital, Global Aviation, Wilmington Trust SP Services, BOC Aviation, Silver Aviation, CDB Lease Finance and GY Aviation—sued insurers including Lloyds, Swiss Re, Chubb, Global Aerospace, AIG, Tokio Marine and Taiping for not covering losses under "all risks" or "war risks" policies. Insurers denied coverage, arguing the war‑risk cover was not engaged. Mr Justice Denis McDonald had earlier found the plaintiffs entitled to discover certain tranches of disputed documentation, including notices of cancellation for aviation assets in Russia, Ukraine, Crimea and Belarus from 1 February to 31 March 2022.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Leasing firms entitled to documents in battle with insurers over Russian aircraft. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

Why: The plaintiffs claim that they need the material in order to progress their claims. CNI source report

Case subjects

Gy Aviation

Applicant

Wilmington Trust Sp Services

Applicant

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Court of Appeal
  • High Court
Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Appeal

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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