United Airlines planes parked at their gates at O’Hare International Airport ahead of Thanksgiving in Chicago, Illinois, USA, November 20, 2021. REUTERS / Brendan McDermid
WASHINGTON, March 1 – The US government on Tuesday announced a ban on Russian flights from US airspace following similar actions by the European Union and Canada following Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
“I declare that we will join our allies in closing US airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding extra strain to their economy,” Biden said in his address on the state of the Union.
Orders from the US Federal Aviation Administration will take effect by the end of the day on Wednesday and will suspend operations on all aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, leased, hired or controlled by, for or for the benefit of a person who is Russian. citizen.
This includes passenger and cargo flights, as well as scheduled and charter flights, “effectively closing US airspace to all Russian commercial airlines and other Russian civil aircraft,” the transportation department said.
Late Tuesday, United Airlines said it had temporarily suspended flights over Russian airspace, joining other major US carriers that took the step after Russian troops poured into Ukraine last week.
In recent days, United have continued to fly over Russian airspace to operate some flights to and from India. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), American Airlines and United Parcel Service (UPS.N) confirmed this week that they have suspended flights over Russia.
FedEx on Tuesday did not respond to emails asking if it had stopped flying over Russia.
United has canceled two flights to India on Tuesday and Wednesday as it assesses how it can continue to operate on a different route that does not use Russian airspace.
White House officials have asked in private whether the move would harm U.S. supply chains or have other negative consequences, sources told Reuters.
In recent days, Russian flights have been effectively banned from destinations in the United States, largely due to bans on Canadian and European airspace. Some foreign governments have privately wondered why the United States has not taken faster action to ban Russian aircraft than some US lawmakers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine committed “genocide” in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine without providing evidence, and said the invasion, called a “special operation” by Russian officials, was justified in ending it.
Report by David Shepardson; Edited by Leslie Adler, Grant McCool and Lincoln Fest.
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