Wow, Russia Bans European Airlines From Entering Its Airspace

Illustration of Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow, Russia. (Wikimedia Commons / Terrazzo)

JAKARTA - Russian authorities have prohibited airlines from European countries from entering its airspace. This is done in line with the threat of EU sanctions against Belarus, related to the 'hijacking' of aircraft approved by the Belarusian Government last Sunday.

Most recently, Russian aviation authorities did not allow Austrian Airlines to use an alternative route through Belarus for scheduled flights from Vienna to Moscow Thursday.

"Austrian Airlines has suspended flights over Belarusian airspace until further notice, based on recommendations from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). For this reason, it is also necessary to adjust flight routes from Vienna to Moscow. Changes to the flight paths must be approved by the party. authorities, "Austrian Airlines said in a statement, launching TASS Friday 28 May.

"Russian officials did not give their consent to us. As a result, Austrian Airlines was forced to cancel today's flight from Vienna to Moscow," the statement continued.

A day earlier, Air France also canceled a Paris - Moscow flight, after Russia disagreed with a route that avoided Belarusian airspace, according to a spokesman for the airline.

"Flight AF1154 was canceled due to operational reasons related to passing through Belarusian airspace, requiring new authorization from Russian authorities to enter their territory," said the airline.

"Flight AF1155 from Moscow to Paris was also canceled. Air France also noted that it has offered passengers to choose a new travel date or get a refund for canceled flights," the statement continued.

Russia's move may be a form of support for Belarus, related to the Ryanair incident which resulted in European Union sanctions. It is known that airlines registered in Belarus are prohibited from flying to and from airports in Europe starting Monday this week.

As a result, the Belarusian national airline, Belarus, had to cancel its flights to a number of European countries, in line with the sanctions from the European Union.

To note, Ryanair's flight traveling from Athens, Greece to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, was intercepted and forced to land in Minsk, Belarus while flying over the country on Sunday May 23.

When the plane landed, opposition activist Roman Protasevich and his Russian counterpart Sofia Sapega, who were on the flight, were immediately arrested by the authorities for opposing the dictatorship of Belarusian President Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko.

According to CNN, Protasevich is one of dozens of Belarusian journalists and activists campaigning in exile against the clutches of 27-year-old Lukashenko. Protasevich. Protasevich is also the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which helps mobilize anti-Lukashenko protests and is on the government's wanted list for terrorism.

The plan is for the European Union's Foreign Ministers to hold a meeting to discuss economic sanctions against Belarus. Quoting Reuters, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn suggested sanctions be directed at potassium exports, of which Belarus is the world's second-largest producer of potassium.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas threatened to impose economic sanctions on the eastern European country, saying the European Union hoped more than 400 political prisoners in Belarus would be released.

"It is clear that we will not be satisfied with small sanctions measures, but we aim to significantly target the economic structure and financial transactions in Belarus with sanctions," Maas told reporters in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

"If Lukashenko does not budge, this will only be the start of a further round of sanctions. It is important to discuss this topic with Russia because we all know that without Russia and without Russian support, Lukashenko has no future in Belarus," added Maas.