Russia bans airlines from 36 countries

Russia has imposed sweeping flight bans on airlines from 36 countries in retaliation to global sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. SEE LIST OF COUNTRIES.

Russia announced on Monday it was banning flights by airlines from 36 countries including Britain and Germany in response to a slew of bans on its planes.

Moscow’s statement came as Russian airlines are now unable to enter the airspace of the vast majority of European countries as well as Canada.

Its list includes Jersey, which is a dependency of the UK, and Gibraltar, a British overseas territory.

Numerous countries have closed their airspace to flights by Russian carriers such as Aeroflot. Picture: AFP

Russia’s civil aviation authority said it was bringing in the restrictions “as a retaliatory measure for the ban by European states on flights by civil aviation operated by Russian airlines or registered in Russia”.

Airlines will only be able to enter Russian airspace with a special permit. Last week Russia banned UK airlines after Britain barred Aeroflot, the country’s flagship carrier, as well as private jets.

The European Union announced on Sunday that it was closing its airspace to Russian aircraft, including private jets.

These measures will mean airlines have to make long detours on some routes, potentially raising the cost of tickets.

It comes as Qantas announced it will avoid Russian airspace on its “kangaroo routes” to London.

Qantas flights will be avoiding Russia on their route to the UK. Picture: Supplied

Flights that usually operate through Russia will be rerouted through the Middle East and Southern Europe, adding an hour or more to flight time.

In a statement on Sunday, the airline said: “Given the current circumstances and complexities, we’re opting to use one of our alternative flight paths that doesn’t overfly Russia, while we continue to monitor this evolving situation.”

On Sunday, Canada announced it has closed its airspace to all Russian carriers in protest at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But the ban was quickly tested when, according to Canadian officials, a plane operated by Russian airline Aeroflot flew over the country.

Aeroflot flight 111 had departed Miami, Florida, bound for Moscow. Announcing the measure earlier in the day, Canada’s Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said: “We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine.”

The closure, effective immediately, aligned Canada with the vast majority of European countries.

While there had been no direct flights between Canadian and Russian airports, the decision by the world’s second-largest country - Russia is the largest - promised to seriously complicate flights by Aeroflot to or from the United States, as well as to other countries to the south.

Any flight owned, chartered by or used by Russian interests - including private flights - was banned from Canadian skies, transport ministry spokeswoman Valerie Glazer told AFP.

A growing list of European countries - including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden - have closed their airspace to Russian carriers in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Britain barred Aeroflot flights on Thursday.

An increasing number of airlines are banning Russian Aeroflot airlines. Picture: AFP

No flights from Russia appeared Sunday to be arriving at major US airports in Washington, Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Delta Airlines on Friday suspended a codesharing arrangement with Aeroflot. But the US Transportation Department has yet to announce a decision on banning Russian flights

It comes as Russia’s foreign minister cancelled a trip to the United Nations in Geneva due to the “anti-Russian sanctions” imposed by EU countries, Russia’s mission in Geneva said Monday.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who had been scheduled to address the UN Human Rights Council and the Conference on Disarmament Tuesday, has cancelled his trip “due to an unprecedented ban on his flight in the airspace of a number of EU countries that have imposed anti-Russian sanctions,” the mission tweeted.

COUNTRIES AFFECTED:

• Austria
• Albania
• Anguilla (British Overseas Territory)
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• British Virgin Islands
• United Kingdom
• Hungary
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Denmark (including Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the territorial sea)
• Jersey
• Ireland
• Iceland
• Spain
• Italy
• Canada
• Cyprus
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Finland
• France
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Sweden
• Estonia