Europe and Canada move to close skies to Russian planes
European nations and Canada announced to shut their airspace to Russian aircraft following the invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack on a European state since World War 2.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “for the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack.”
“We are shutting down the EU airspace for Russians. We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft. These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU,” Von der Leyen added.
The countries that have banned Russian airlines from their airspace include Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, U.K.
Canada also said it had shut its airspace to Russian aircraft effective immediately.
The bans apply to all Russian airlines, including flag carrier Aeroflot. Several flights on Sunday turned round midflight and returned to Russia, including an Aeroflot flight between Moscow and Frankfurt, according to Flightradar24.
Kaja Kallas, Estonian Foreign Minister, said “there’s no place for planes of the aggressor state in democratic skies.”
“Our European skies are open skies. They’re open for those who connect people, not for those who seek to brutally aggress,” Belgium’s prime minister Alexander De Croo said on Twitter.
