Advertisement
Advertisement

Russian flights bans hit airlines from 36 countries – aviation authority

By:
Reuters
Updated: Feb 28, 2022, 14:53 GMT+00:00

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Monday barred airlines from 36 countries including Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy and Canada from using Russian airspace in a retaliatory move after sweeping sanctions targeting its aviation sector.

A general view on the terminal of Vnukovo International Airport amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Moscow

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia has closed its airspace to airlines from 36 countries, including all 27 members of the European Union, in response Ukraine-related sanctions targeting its aviation sector.

Some of the banned countries had already been identified, while others were named by the aviation authority Rosaviatsia for the first time on Monday following the punitive measures imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The flight bans are expected to hurt airlines that fly over the world’s biggest country to get from Europe to Asia. They are likely to force them to find new routes.

Rosaviatsia said that flights from those countries could in exceptional circumstances be authorised if they secure special clearance from Russia’s aviation authority or foreign ministry.

It listed the countries as Albania, Anguilla, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, British Virgin Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Jersey, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the invasion of Ukraine a “special operation” and justified it by saying “neo-Nazis” rule the country and threaten Russia’s security – a charge Kyiv and Western governments say is baseless propaganda.

(Editing by Timothy Heritage)

About the Author

Reuterscontributor

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national, and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations, and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products:

Did you find this article useful?
Advertisement