Non-European airlines should not fly in western Russia airspace: EU – National

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a new alert on Thursday warning non-European carriers not to fly within the airspace of western Russia because of the risk of being inadvertently targeted by its air defense systems.

Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, condemned the warning as a new imposition of sanctions on Russian companies and an attempt to allow Western airlines to regain lost markets.

EASA said the crash last month in Kazakhstan of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, after Russian air defenses fired against Ukrainian drones, demonstrated the high risk at stake. At least 38 people died in the accident.

“The ongoing conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine poses the risk of civilian aircraft being inadvertently targeted in the airspace of the Russian Federation due to possible civil-military coordination deficits, and the potential for misidentification,” EASA said.

“EASA advises against operating within the affected airspace of the Russian Federation west of longitude 60° East at all altitudes and flight levels.”

The warning was for third-party operators authorized by EASA, given that Russian airspace has been closed to European Union airlines since the bloc imposed Ukraine-related sanctions targeting the Russian aviation sector.

A statement issued on Friday by Rosaviatsiya said that air safety was its highest priority and that the recommendation was unjustified.

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“This recommendation is nothing more than a continuation of the policy of sanctions by Western countries on the aviation industry of the Russian Federation,” it wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

EASA, it said, was trying to ensure a reduction in the number of flights by Asian carriers to EU destinations using the Trans-Siberian route.

“EASA, through this recommendation, is simply trying to recover its lost competitive advantage for its companies,” it said.

Four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan’s investigation told Reuters last month that Russian air defenses had mistakenly shot down the plane. Passengers said they heard a loud bang outside the plane.

President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijan’s leader for what the Kremlin called a “tragic incident,” although the Kremlin’s statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, noting only that a criminal case had been opened.

–Reporting by Sarah Marsh in Berlin; Editing by Rod Nickel, Ron Popeski and Matthew Lewis