According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU has placed a blanket flight ban on Russian jets.
“We are banning Russian-owned, Russian-registered, or Russian-controlled aircraft from EU airspace,” she stated.
All such planes, including billionaires’ private jets, will no longer be permitted to land, take off, or fly over any EU country.
Russian jets have also been barred from flying over the United Kingdom.
In retaliation, Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, said on Sunday that it will stop all flights to European destinations until further notice.
European countries have begun limiting their airspace one by one prior to the decision. Germany has announced a three-month ban.
On Sunday, scores of flights were canceled at Moscow’s Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports, including planes to Paris, Vienna, and Kaliningrad.
S7 Airlines, based in Russia, said on Facebook that it will halt flights to several of its European destinations until at least March 13th.
Russia has retaliated by imposing tit-for-tat restrictions on nations that have banned its aircraft.
The EU will also prohibit Russia’s state-owned news channels Sputnik and Russia Today, which are largely seen as Kremlin mouthpieces, according to the Commission president. “We’re working on methods to make it illegal for them to spread poisonous and destructive information in Europe,” she added.
Due to the flying limitations, Russian airlines will be forced to follow convoluted routes, resulting in lengthier travel durations.
Following Russia’s incursion, commercial planes are avoiding airspace near Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus.
Delta Air Lines, based in the United States, has announced the suspension of a flight booking arrangement with Russia’s Aeroflot.
The United Kingdom’s embargo on Russian aircraft prompted Moscow to counter by imposing a similar restriction on British planes.
Avoiding Russia would add 15 to an hour to Virgin Atlantic’s flights between the UK and India and Pakistan, according to the airline.
Qantas, an Australian airline, has announced that its direct trip between Darwin and London would take a longer route that avoids flying over Russia.