The United States has banned Russian flights from US airspace

The orders to block the entry of Russian planes and airlines into US airspace will take effect by the end of Wednesday, the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday night.

The clean-up orders will mean that any aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, rented, hired or controlled by, for or for the benefit of a Russian citizen will be banned from flying over the United States, the agencies said. . The ban applies to scheduled and charter passenger and cargo flights.

The move by the United States, previously reported by The Wall Street Journal, follows bans by European and Canadian authorities. Restrictions against which Russia has retaliated by imposing such a ban on European and Canadian flights have stifled Russia’s access to large parts of the world as its invasion of Ukraine escalates.

Reciprocal bans have disrupted global aviation networks, forcing airlines to suspend flights and, in some cases, take more detours.

Following European and Canadian restrictions, Aeroflot-Russian Airlines PJSC, the country’s national flag carrier, said it had suspended all flights to European destinations. Aeroflot said the closure of Canada’s airspace meant it would also cancel transatlantic routes, including flights to the United States, Mexico and Cuba, from February 28 to March 2. Aeroflot said earlier Tuesday that it plans to operate some flights from Mexico and the Dominican Republic to help the Russians return home.

In March, Aeroflot had to operate dozens of flights to and from US cities, including New York, Miami and Los Angeles, according to Cirium, an aviation data provider.

American passenger carriers do not operate direct flights to Russia, but their airspace is part of the corridor for many long-haul flights to Asia, including air cargo services. United Airlines Holdings Inc.,

which normally flies over Russia en route to India, said on Tuesday it would stop flying through Russian airspace. Delta Air Lines Inc.

and American Airlines Group Inc.

also stopped flying through Russian airspace.

Freight flights to and from Asia from North America account for a quarter of global freight traffic, according to the International Air Transport Association. Airline executives said the majority of those traveling to East Asia are currently traveling through Russian airspace.

U.S. government officials are concerned about disruptions in the supply chain, which has already been torn apart by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Large cargo carriers continued to cross Russia on Tuesday on routes to Asia from North America and the Middle East, including Air China-operated aircraft,

FedEx Corp.

and Korean Air Lines Co.

– Doug Cameron and Ken Thomas contributed to this article.

Write to Alison Cedar at [email protected] and Andrew Tangel at [email protected]