Russia airlines blocked from US airspace
02 / 03 / 2022
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The US Department of Transportation and its Federal Aviation Administration are issuing orders blocking Russian aircraft and airlines from entering and using domestic US airspace.
The Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) and regulatory orders will suspend operations of all aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, chartered, leased, or controlled by, for, or for the benefit of, a person who is a citizen of Russia.
This includes passenger and cargo flights, and scheduled as well as charter flights, effectively closing US. air space to all Russian commercial air carriers and other Russian civil aircraft.
Both orders are slated to be fully effective by the end of March 2.
“The United States stands with our allies and partners across the world in responding to Putin’s unprovoked aggression against the people of Ukraine,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
In his State of the Union address on March 1, US president Joe Biden said: “And tonight I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding an additional squeeze –on their economy.”
Russia closed its airspace to airlines from 36 countries on February 28. The directive includes all 27 members of the European Union.
The flight ban will force airlines that fly over Russia to get from Europe to Asia to find new routes.
The European Union (EU) also closed its airspace to Russian aircraft on February 27, as sanctions continue to be imposed in response to the conflict in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian airspace closed on February 24.
The airspace bans will mean extended flying times and higher costs for air cargo operations, while services are also likely to be changed and cancelled at short notice.
