Dozens of flights deviate their routes Ukraine after the airspace was closed thereafter Russiaa comprehensive invasion early this morning.
Rough estimates suggest that a 1,000-mile-wide area is currently being avoided amid the ongoing conflict, with the result that flights between the United Kingdom and the Eastern European country have been suspended.
Images from the aviation website Flightradar24 show that there are no civilian aircraft in Ukrainian airspace and very little over neighboring Moldova and Belaruswhere many Russian troops are stationed.
IN European Union The Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said earlier that the airspace in these two countries, within 100 nautical miles of their border with Ukraine, could also pose security risks.
“In particular, there is a risk of both deliberate targeting and misidentification of civilian aircraft,” the agency said in a newsletter in the conflict zone.
“The availability and possible use of a wide range of ground and air combat systems poses a high risk to civilian flights at all altitudes and flight levels.”
Wizz Air canceled flights between Luton Airport and the Ukrainian cities of Kiev and Lviv on Thursday, before Ryanair and Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) – the other carriers flying between the two countries – also suspended those routes.
A number of other trips to global destinations are likely to be affected, with planes sometimes having to take long detours.
This comes after the UK Foreign Office updated its travel advice to warn that British citizens in Ukraine “should not expect increased consular support or evacuation assistance”.
Transport Minister Grant Shaps imposed the ban, later reinforced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday morning, tweeting that he had made the decision “after the horrific overnight events”.
Dozens of flights reroute around Ukraine after airspace closed after Russia’s comprehensive invasion earlier this morning
The graph shows how the number of flights to and from Ukraine has fluctuated over the last year
The graph shows the movement of European military air around Ukraine today
Mr Schaps added: “I have instructed @ UK-CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) to ensure that airlines avoid Ukrainian airspace in order to protect passengers and crew.
“We continue to stand with the people of Ukraine and work with our international partners to respond to this act of aggression.”
Ryanair said it had suspended flights to and from Ukraine for “at least the next 14 days” and suspended them for “at least the next four weeks until further information becomes available from EU security agencies”.
It adds: “Ryanair remains committed to our services to / from Ukraine and we look forward to resuming flights there as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We sincerely regret and apologize for these unprecedented disturbances and any inconvenience they will inevitably cause to our Ukrainian customers.”
A Wizz Air spokesman said: “The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our number one priority and we hope that normalcy will return to Ukraine soon.”
The UIA said it was “taking all possible measures to ensure the safety of our passengers”.
The lack of flights will make it difficult for British citizens to evacuate from Ukraine to the United Kingdom.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated its travel advice, saying: “Ukraine’s airspace is closed. Trade routes from Ukraine are likely to be severely disrupted and roads in Ukraine may be closed.
It added: “Russia’s military action in Ukraine will seriously affect the British government’s ability to provide consular assistance to Ukraine.
“British citizens should not expect increased consular support or evacuation assistance in these circumstances.”
An explosion lit up the night sky over Kiev in the early hours of Thursday as Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine from the north, south and east with bombs, cruise missiles and rockets falling from the sky.
Russian Mi-8 attack helicopters attack Gostomel air base, right on the outskirts of Kiev, after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale attack on the country
A huge explosion is observed at the Vinnytsia military base in central Ukraine as the country comes under widespread attack from Russia.
Early in the morning, the airlines toured the country in crowded corridors to the north and west.
El Al’s flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto made a sudden U-turn back from Ukrainian airspace around the time of its closure, according to the FlightRadar24 flight tracking website.
MANY flights of Polish airlines from Warsaw to Kiev also turned to Warsaw at about the same time.
Russia announced today that it has suspended domestic flights to and from several airports near its border with Ukraine, including Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Stavropol, by March 2nd.
Russia has also closed part of the airspace in the Rostov sector to “ensure safety” for civil aviation flights, according to a statement to the pilots.
Before notifying Ukraine of airspace restrictions, Britain, Canada, France, Italy and the United States told airlines to avoid certain airspace over eastern Ukraine and Crimea, but did not reach a total ban.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Liz Truss called on Britons in the country to “leave now on trade routes while they are still available”.
The flights continue to operate over Russia, a route used by many services between the United Kingdom and Asia.
In July 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a rocket fired from a pro-Russian separatist-controlled area of Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.