The European Union has blocked 21 Russian-certified airlines, including national carrier Aeroflot, over “serious safety concerns.”
The move, which bans the airlines from entering European Union airspace, comes after Russia attempts to beat sanctions imposed in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
Last month, President of Russia Vladimir Putin had authorized the seizure of US and European-leased commercial aircraft, allowing them to be registered and issued with local airworthiness certificates to keep Russia’s domestic services running and make it harder for the jets to do so be reclaimed.
Meanwhile, the European Union said Russia deliberately allowed foreign-owned aircraft to continue to fly without meeting safety standards.
In a statement, the European Commission stated, “The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency has allowed Russian airlines to operate hundreds of foreign-owned aircraft without a valid certificate of airworthiness.”
While mentioning the ban, European Transport Commissioner Adina Valean stated, “The Russian airlines concerned have knowingly done so in breach of relevant international safety standards.”
The EU’s decision to add the airlines to its Air Safety List comes more than a month after the 27-nation bloc banned all Russian aircraft from its airspace in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
She said, “I want to clarify that this decision is not another sanction against Russia; it has been taken solely based on technical and safety grounds. We don’t mix safety with politics.”
The European Union mentioned that, “The situation will continue to be closely monitored in the coming weeks & months, and if required, further action may be taken.”