“Armenia is an ally of Russia”: Hayways takes aircraft dispute to US court

Armenian airline Hayways has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court after an American aircraft leasing company refused to deliver a Boeing 737-800 that had been designated for the airline, citing concerns that Armenia, as an ally of Russia, could potentially confiscate the aircraft and prevent its return to the owner.

According to Hetq, Hayways is currently the only cargo airline in Armenia, although it initially planned to operate passenger services.

On November 30, 2021, Hayways signed an agreement to lease a Boeing 737-800 from Irish company Fly Aircraft Holdings Fourteen Limited. The company is owned by another Irish company, Fly Leasing Limited, which in turn is owned by major U.S. aircraft leasing company Carlyle Aviation Partners.

In December 2021, the Boeing 737-800 was ferried to Amman, the capital of Jordan, for maintenance. Specialists from Armenian company Cross Technics, which is engaged in aviation technical activities and services for Hayways aircraft, also arrived in Amman to work on the aircraft.

The Boeing had already been painted in Hayways' colours when, following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the aircraft owner cancelled the deal.

The owner justified the decision by arguing that Armenian authorities, as the authorities of a country allied with Russia, could potentially confiscate the aircraft and prevent it from being returned to its owner, as Russia had done in many cases.

Another factor was the insurance environment that emerged after the Russia-Ukraine war began. Western insurers in many cases were unwilling to deal with aircraft flying to Russia or, more specifically, to include potential incidents occurring on Russian territory in their insurance coverage.

Hayways representatives told the aircraft owner that the Boeing 737-800 would not fly to Russia and would not be operated in that direction. The assurances provided by the Armenian side, however, did not change the owner's decision.

In May 2022, the Boeing 737-800 was ferried from Jordan not to Armenia but to Slovakia, where it joined the fleet of Slovak airline AirExplore. The aircraft remains in operation with the airline to this day.

Hayways subsequently turned to the London Court of International Arbitration, where the rights and obligations stipulated in the aircraft lease agreement were examined. The proceedings included a dispute over the termination of the lease agreement and the failure to return a $320,000 deposit.

The arbitration court found that the lessor had been entitled to terminate the agreement. In November 2025, it dismissed Hayways' claim.

Following its unsuccessful proceedings before the London Court of International Arbitration, Hayways filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court on May 15, 2026.

The U.S. lawsuit states that the case concerns alleged non-contractual violations. It also maintains that the compensation claims presented in the U.S. proceedings do not duplicate the claims that Hayways had pursued and that had been considered by the London Court of International Arbitration.

Hayways is seeking more than $750,000 in damages. The amount does not include interest, court costs or attorneys' fees.

By Tamilla Hasanova