Russia closes airspace to 36 countries as leasing deals cease
Russia has retaliated against yesterday’s EU-wide closure banning the airlines of 36 countries from using its airspace.
The move – which blocks access to its airspace to countries such as Italy, Germany and Canada – will force carriers to fly roundabout routes to south and south-east Asia, with countries such as Kazakhstan seeing numbers increase dramatically.
Kazakh air navigation company Kazaeronavigatsiya reported that flight numbers have gone up to 450 on Monday following the EU and allies’ decision, but the airspace control system was operating as normal.
“The dispatching staff of RSE Kazaeronavigatsiya is ready to increase the workload,” said the company in a statement. “Our main task is to ensure safe and uninterrupted air traffic.”
The decision, announced yesterday by the European Commission following a meeting with the bloc’s foreign minister, is impacting also aircraft leasing deals.
“We are shutting down the the EU airspace for Russians,” said yesterday the commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen during a press conference. “We’re proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian-registered, and Russian-controlled aircraft. These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off, or overfly the territory of the European Union.”
AerCap, the world’s largest aircraft lessor, said today it would comply with the EU ban, ceasing leasing deals with Russian airlines, which had 5 per cent of the company’s fleet on lease in December. Shanghai-headquartered BOC Aviation has instead said most of its 4.5 per cent Russian leasing deals would be terminated by 28 March.