air traffic
Russian airlines blacklisted in EU
The EU has blacklisted 21 airlines licensed in Russia. Photo: Marina Lystseva/AP/dpa
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The EU has classified 21 Russian airlines as unsafe. The decision is not a further sanction, it is said – but it is probably related to the consequences of the sanctions.
21 airlines licensed in Russia have been placed on an EU blacklist over safety concerns.
The so-called EU aviation safety list lists companies that are not allowed to work in the EU because they do not meet international safety standards. Because of the sanctions in force, EU airspace is already closed to almost all Russian planes.
EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean stressed in a statement on Monday that the decision was made solely because of security concerns and no further sanctions against Russia because of the Ukraine war. The Russian Federal Aviation Agency has allowed airlines to operate hundreds of foreign-owned planes without a so-called certificate of airworthiness. Such a certificate is also issued by the Federal Aviation Authority and is a prerequisite for an aircraft to be allowed to operate.
Part of the EU sanctions against Russia is that spare parts and equipment for Russian airlines can no longer be sold to Moscow. According to EU data, three quarters of Russian commercial aircraft have been built in the EU, the US and Canada.