The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has agreed to review Venezuela's complaint against Argentina for seizing the Boeing 747-300 freighter belonging to Conviasa's cargo subsidiary Emtrasur and later handing it over to US authorities for scrapping. The aircraft was wanted by Washington because it had belonged to Iran's carrier Mahan Air and was said to be involved in logistics operations assisting terrorist attacks.
Venezuela has announced the closure of its airspace to aircraft originating from or bound for Argentina, following the seizure of a cargo plane that was subsequently handed over to U.S. authorities. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil declared, “Venezuela exercises full sovereignty in its airspace,” vowing that “no aircraft” from Argentina will be permitted to fly over Venezuelan territory until compensation is provided for damages caused by the seizure.
According to aviation website reports, last week's G20 foreign ministers' summit in Rio de Janeiro came incredibly close to repeating the case of the Venezuelan-flagged Boeing 747-300 freighter sold by Iran's Mahan Air to Conviasa's cargo subsidiary Emtrasur, which was seized in Buenos Aires for about a year before being handed over to US authorities earlier this month.
The Venezuelan-flagged Boeing 747-300 freighter aircraft registration YV3531 of the company Empresa de Transporte Aerocargo del Sur (Emtrasur), a subsidiary of Conviasa, has left after 20 months the Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza, Argentina, for the United States.
Lomas de Zamora Federal Judge Federico Villena, who has jurisdiction over Buenos Aires' international Ezeiza Airport, Wednesday acquiesced to a request from the United States and ordered the Boeing 747-300 freighter aircraft belonging to Venezuelan carrier Empresa de Transporte de Aerocargo del Sur (Emtrasur), after obtaining it from Iran's Mahan Air handed over to Washington.
A District of Columbia Court Tuesday filed a request before Argentine authorities to confiscate the Venezuelan-Iranian Boeing 747-300 freighter aircraft grounded at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza international airport, it was reported.
Argentine Federal Judge Federico Villena Friday ruled in favor of acquitting the remaining five crewmembers of the Venezuelan-Iranian Boeing 747-300 seized at the Ezeiza International Airport citing a lack of evidence to prosecute them for financing terrorist activities.
A federal judge in Argentina has dismissed all charges against 14 of the 19 crew members of the Emtrasur Boeing 747-300 freighter aircraft seized at Buenos Aires Ezeiza international airport. They were all given their passports back and cleared to leave the country at will.
Argentine Federal Judge Federico Vuillena Thursday gave their passports back to 12 crew members of the Venezuelan-Iranian freighter seized at the Ezeiza International Airport.
An Argentine court of appeals Tuesday ruled that the ban from leaving the country on 12 of the 19 crewmembers of the Venezuelan freighter seized at the Ezeiza International Airport must be reviewed at the earliest.