Russia has banned airlines from 36 countries from using its airspace in a tit-for-tat response to Western sanctions.
On Sunday, Europe shut its skies to Russian owned or controlled planes. The announcement means all planes, including the private jets of oligarchs, will now be unable to land in, take off from or fly over any EU nation.
It is one of a number of sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, the Russian aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, said: “A restriction has been imposed on flights for airlines of 36 countries in accordance with international law as a retaliatory measure for the ban imposed by the European states on the flights of commercial airliners operated by Russian airlines and/or registered in Russia.”
The measures mean airlines will have to make long detours on some routes, potentially raising the cost of fuel and tickets.
The countries banned from Russia’s airspace are: Albania, Anguilla, Austria, Belgium, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (including Greenland, the Faroe Islands), Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK.
Swiss International Airlines, which is owned by Germany’s Lufthansa, said that it had cancelled flights from Zurich to Moscow despite Switzerland not appearing on Russia’s list of banned countries.
A spokesperson for the Swiss airline also said it was not flying through Russian airspace.
