B747-300M YV3531 (msn 23413), formerly operated by Emtrasur Cargo, has been scrapped in the United States just a few weeks after it was ferried from Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini to Miami Dade-Collier.
The aircraft was flown to the US on February 12 after 18 months of planning, coordination, and execution alongside the Argentinian government. Argentina first detained it on June 6, 2022, shortly after the US government issued a seizure warrant.
According to the United States Department of Justice, YV3531 was transferred from Mahan Air (W5, Tehran Mehrabad) to Emtrasur, violating US export control laws as the Iranian carrier is prohibited from engaging in transactions involving commodities exported from the USA subject to Export Administration Regulations. Additionally, the US argued that the unauthorised transfer of the B747 directly benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC-QF) and Hizballah.
YV3531 was a 38-year-old aircraft. It was first delivered to UTA - Union de Transports Aériens in January 1986. It also flew for Air France between 1992 and 2006, Garuda Indonesia between 2006 and 2006, Blue Airways between 2009 and 2021, and Mahan Air between 2009 and 2021 before being illegally transferred to Conviasa’s now-dormant subsidiary.
