As the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation) has not explained the reasons for restricting Ukrainian airlines' flights in Russian airspace starting Oct. 25, 2015, the Ukrainian State Aviation Service has decided to fully terminate commercial air services between Ukraine and Russia starting from this date, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry reported on Oct. 12.
“This measure will be applied to all Russian airlines and will remain in effect until the bans imposed on Ukrainian airlines by the Russian Federation’s aviation authorities are lifted. After Russia lifts the bans, Russian airlines that are not on the sanction list will be able to fly to Ukraine,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian State Aviation Service informed Rosaviation on its decision on Oct. 9, it said.
It was reported earlier that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had signed a decree on Sept. 16 to enact a National Security and Defense Council resolution of Sept. 2 ‘On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)’, which applies to several Russian airlines, including Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot.
Similar sanctions have been imposed on the following airlines: the 224th Flight Unit, VIM Airlines, Gazpromavia, Donavia Airlines, Kogalymavia Airlines Ltd., Orenburg Airlines Federal State Unitary Enterprise, Aircompany Polet, Red Wings, State Transport Company Rossiya – Russian Airlines, RusJet, RusLine, Siberia Airlines (S7), Transaero Airlines, Ural Airlines, Yakutia Airlines, Yamal Airlines and others.
The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers ruled to ban these Russian airlines from flying to Ukraine on Sept. 25.
The Ukrainian State Aviation Service has carried out all the necessary procedures to notify Russian airlines of Ukrainian sanctions imposed on them. It was reported on Sept. 29 that Rosaviation had notified Ukrainian airlines of banning them from using Russian airspace starting from Oct. 25.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarsky said later that, by imposing sanctions on Russian airlines, Ukraine was not seeking to build an iron curtain between the two countries.
The minister pointed out that the Ukrainian sanction list included 29 Russian airlines, 27 of which had illegally flown to occupied Crimea and two Ukrainian airlines nationalized by the so-called government of temporarily occupied Crimea.
