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European Union, the UK and Canada on Sunday closed their airspace completely to Russian aircraft as part of sanctions to punish that country for invading Ukraine
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Russia’s aviation regulator imposes a retaliatory flight ban on the countries that shut their skies to Russian flights
- Britain rules out a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying that is tantamount to declaring a war on Russia
Twenty-seven countries making up the European Union as well as Canada declared Sunday, February 27, their airspace completely closed to Russian aircraft as part of sanctions to punish that country for invading Ukraine.
So far, the United States and its allies in Asia have not joined the move. Airlines flying the eastern air corridor between Europe and Asia will be hit by Russia’s tit-for tat ban on European flights over its airspace.
The White House is considering similar action, but has yet to make a final decision, US officials said. The US government said citizens should consider leaving Russia on commercial flights immediately, as a growing number of airlines cancelling flights to Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Twitter that the complete prohibition of aircraft registered, owned or controlled by Russian entities was to take effect from 3pm Sunday.
“We are shutting down the EU airspace for Russians,” she said on Twitter. “These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU.”
She said private business jets of Russian oligarchs won’t be exempt from the flight ban.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace ruled out a no-fly zone over Ukraine as requested by Ukrainian officials. He said enforcing a no-fly zone would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
“To do a no-fly zone I would have to put British fighter jets directly against Russian fighter jets,” Wallace told BBC “NATO would have to effectively declare war on Russia.”
Even before Von Layen spoke, Germany announced its airspace closed to all Russian aircraft effective 3pm on Sunday, as it joined other European countries in imposing the ban. But the German action has some exceptions, including flights carrying humanitarian aid.
The countries that have already imposed the ban are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the United Kingdom.
“Our European skies are open skies… They’re open for those who connect people, not for those who seek to brutally aggress,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo wrote on Twitter.
Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Sunday that his country’s airspace is closed to all Russian aircraft operators. “We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine,” he said.
US carrier Delta Airlines said it would suspend a flight booking agreement with Russia’s Aeroflot. Washington has yet to decide on whether to join Europe in the flight ban.
The restriction throughout the EU would largely cut off Russia from the easiest air route west, forcing its carriers to take circuitous, longer routes.
The Russian federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia retaliated against what it called the “unfriendly decisions” by its EU and British counterparts.
The “mirror flight ban” imposed by Moscow also on Sunday is likely to make it more difficult for European airlines to fly to Asia and beyond.
Air France and Finnair said ahead of Russia’s retaliatory flight ban that they are suspending all flights between Europe and China, Korea and Japan as they plot routes that would avoid Russian airspace.
