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The European Union The Aviation Safety Agency issued a new warning on Thursday warning non-European carriers not to fly inside Russia’s western airspace due to the risk of being inadvertently targeted by its air defense systems.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, denounced the warning as a new imposition of sanctions on Russian companies and an attempt to allow Western airlines to recapture lost markets.
EASA said last month’s crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan, after Russian air defenses fired on Ukrainian drones, showed the high risk involved. At least 38 people died in the accident.
“The ongoing conflict following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses a risk of civilian aircraft being inadvertently targeted in Russian Federation airspace due to potential gaps in civil-military coordination and the potential for misidentification,” EASA said.
“EASA recommends not operating within the affected airspace of the Russian Federation located west of longitude 60° East at all altitudes and flight levels.”
The warning was for third-country operators authorized by EASA, given that Russian airspace has been closed to European Union airlines since the bloc imposed Ukraine-related sanctions targeting Russia’s aviation sector.
In a statement issued by Rosaviatsiya on Friday, it said that air safety is its highest priority and that the recommendation is unjustified.
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“This recommendation is nothing more than a continuation of the Western countries’ policy of sanctions against the aviation industry of the Russian Federation,” writes the Telegram messaging application.
EASA, as stated, was trying to ensure a reduction in the number of flights of Asian carriers to destinations in the EU using the Trans-Siberian route.
“With this recommendation, EASA is simply trying to regain its lost competitive advantage for its companies,” the statement said.
Four sources familiar with the preliminary findings of the Azerbaijani investigation told Reuters last month that Russian air defenses shot down the passenger plane by mistake. Passengers said they heard a loud bang in front of the plane.
President Vladimir Putin apologized to the Azerbaijani leader for what the Kremlin called a “tragic incident,” although the Kremlin’s statement did not say Russia shot down the plane, saying only that a criminal case had been opened.
—Sarah Marsh reports in Berlin; Editing: Rod Nickel, Ron Popeski and Matthew Lewis
