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EASA Issues Warning on Flying Over Western Russian Airspace

EASA has warned air carriers to avoid Western Russian airspace due to safety concerns. While EU carriers comply, airlines like Turkish Airlines and Emirates have yet to respond.
Image: PanARMENIAN Photo /Davit Hakobyan
Image: PanARMENIAN Photo /Davit Hakobyan

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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a bulletin advising air carriers to avoid Western Russian airspace west of longitude 60º east last week. The recommendation, which is also aimed at non-European carriers, remains in effect until 30 July.

Currently, EU carriers do not operate in this airspace due to EU-imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation. However, third-country carriers frequently use this airspace. This is not the first time EASA has advised against flying over Russian airspace. Its initial warning came after the downing of flight MH17 in 2014, which was shot down by Russian forces. At the time, the EU responded by creating the ‘EU Conflict Zone Alerting System’, a mechanism developed in collaboration with air carriers and EU member states through EASA.

The advisory was influenced by the downing of Flight 8243, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, which was shot down by Russian forces. The incident resulted in the deaths of 38 people, while 28 survived. Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev requested explanations from the Russian Federation, although understanding that “it might not be intentional, but it was done”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised, calling it a ‘tragic incident’, but claimed it occurred during Russian efforts to neutralise Ukrainian drones. However, Putin’s statement never admitted fault for the incident, leading to Azerbaijan suspending most flights to Russia shortly after.

Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, strongly criticised EASA’s warning, claiming it represented a new wave of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Five airports are covered in the zone EASA warns against: Moscow, St Petersburg, Samara, Ekaterinburg, and Chelyabinsk. The statement uses the example of the Azerbaijani Air flight as evidence that the zone is a “high risk”, due to the “activation of air-defence systems”.

EASA’s statement likely targets air carriers from the Middle East and Asia, which includes Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Air India. While these companies haven’t reacted to the warning yet, the consequences are likely to translate into longer flight times, if the companies take longer routes to avoid flying over the designated airspace. In turn, this is likely to increase operational costs, making flights more expensive for customers. It’s also an issue for the United Kingdom, which has cancelled the flight route London – Beijing, one of the most important for the economic sector. However, avoiding Russian air space meant that it wouldn’t be worth operating the flight anymore.

Notably, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has previously issued warnings for conflict zones, has not updated its guidance regarding this airspace. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) also remains silent on this advisory. The lack of coordination between global aviation agencies may delay responses from air carriers, with EASA currently the only agency to issue a written warning for third-country carriers.

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