(CNN) – United Airlines says its flights will now evade Russian airspace, although the country has not yet banned US planes from flying.
Two routes between the United States and India – San Francisco to New Delhi and Newark to Mumbai – will be canceled in the next few days, United spokeswoman Leslie Scott told CNN. The airline also diverts flights between Newark and Delhi, along with those between Chicago O’Hare and Delhi.
Delta Air Lines has said it no longer flies through Russian airspace for some flights to Asia.
Last month, American Airlines began rerouting flights over Ukraine.
Russia has banned dozens of Western countries from operating in its airspace, but has not yet banned US aircraft, even after the United States announced it would block Russian flights in US airspace.
President Joe Biden announced these plans to further isolate Russia, saying in a speech on the state of the Union on Tuesday night that the move would add “additional pressure on their economy”.
The FAA has warned pilots that Russian planes flying in US airspace could be intercepted as part of restrictions imposed in response to the war in Ukraine.
A pilot’s bulletin published on Wednesday said all Russian civilian aircraft – including those leased, hired or controlled for a citizen of the Russian Federation – were banned from US airspace from 21:00 ET Wednesday.
The new notice says aircraft operators “who do not follow these instructions can be intercepted and their pilots and other crew members detained and interviewed by law enforcement or security officials.”
The US ban on Russian aircraft is in effect until May 25 and is in force regardless of whether the aircraft is registered in Russia. The only exceptions are Russian planes, which are humanitarian flights authorized by the US government, and flights that experience an emergency during the flight.
Image above: United Airlines planes land on the runway at Newark Liberty International Airport in November in this file. (Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images)