An Emtrasur Boeing 747-300 cargo plane, registered in Venezuela, to be handed over to the US for violating export control laws.
The plane was grounded in Buenos Aires in 2022 after suspicions of espionage involving Iranian nationals on board.
United States officials have been providing maintenance to the aircraft since January in preparation for transfer.
A month after an Argentine court approved a transfer request of a grounded Emtrasur Boeing 747-300 cargo plane to the United States, it is set to take place this week. The Venezuela-registered cargo jet is being handed over to the US for violations of United States export control laws.
Background
In early January 2024, it was reported that Argentina had agreed to hand over the Emtrasur Cargo aircraft to the United States. Emtrasur is the cargo subsidiary of Venezuelan flag carrier and state-owned Conviasa, which is sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department. The company was established in November 2020 to manage and control air cargo and mail operations internationally and domestically, mainly between Venezuela, Iran, China, and Russia.

The aircraft, registered YV-3531, has been grounded in Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) since June 2022 after accusations of espionage involving Iranian nationals onboard came to light. The plane arrived in Argentina after attempting to fly a shipment of auto parts from Mexico to Uruguay. However, after receiving alerts about possible espionage, Uruguayan officials barred the Boeing 747 from entering its airspace, forcing it to land in Buenos Aires.