Moscow, 1 March 2022 (TDI): As sanctions against Russia continue to put economic pressure on its economy, the country decided to suspend its airspace for flights operating from over 35 countries including Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Switzerland.
This decision comes as a retaliation to ongoing sanctions against the country. Several European countries including Poland, Bulgaria, and Germany closed their airspaces to Russian planes.
The United Kingdom also suspended its airspace for the Russian flagship carrier, Aeroflot. Neither Russia nor the Western nations have provided a timeline on when the ban might be lifted.
“Air carriers of these states and/or registered in them are subject to restrictions on flights to destinations on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Russian Federal Air Transport Agency
All 27 European Union countries are expected to suffer greatly from this, the Air Transport Agency added that transit flights going through Russian airspace are also subject to this ban.
Exceptions are expected to be made on both sides on humanitarian grounds or on airplanes that carry special permits. Russia’s Civil Aviation Authority said that the country was imposing restrictions as a retaliatory measure for the ban on Russian airlines by the European Union.
Airlines will face potential blockages as the east-west corridor has now been cut off from them. Shares for several airlines fell as the ban took effect. Finnair, Finland’s largest carrier saw shares pummel by 21% while shares in European airlines and airport operators witnessed a decline of 3-6%.
Airlines in some Asian countries like Japan and Korea are continuing to use Russia’s airspace although they currently have no plans to add flights to Russia.
The closure of the airspace puts further pressure on the industry as most operators already avoid some portions of the Middle Eastern airspace because of ongoing conflicts. The United States is expected to follow in the EU’s footsteps soon and is urging all nationals to return to the country.
