Madagascar Cracks Down on Boeing 777 Smuggling Ring, 22 Arrested

Madagascar’s Ministry of Justice has arrested 22 people over the smuggling of five Boeing 777-200 wide-body aircraft to Iran in July, in what investigators describe as a major case of forgery and corruption in international aviation.

Those detained include senior officials from the Civil Aviation Authority, associates of India-based Udaan Aviation, and employees of several local companies. Authorities allege that the group colluded to falsify documents, enabling Iranian airlines—barred from acquiring aircraft through legal channels due to Western sanctions—to obtain additional jets.

A total of 33 individuals and entities are under investigation for issuing fraudulent temporary registrations in Madagascar and airworthiness certificates. The paperwork reportedly claimed the aircraft would be ferried to Kenya for maintenance. Instead, on July 15, all five jets departed Cambodia’s Siem Reap Angkor International Airport and landed directly in Iran.

The aircraft had previously been stored at China’s Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport before their transfer. The scandal has already claimed a political casualty, with Madagascar’s transport minister resigning at the end of July.

In response, the government has requested an international probe by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and pledged full cooperation with global aviation regulators.