Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has announced Poland will close its airspace to Russian airlines owing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The step comes in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.
“I have ordered the Council of Ministers to prepare a resolution to close the airspace over Poland to Russian airlines,” Morawiecki said on Facebook on Friday.
Later in the day, Piotr Mueller, the government spokesman, said the ban was likely to come into force from midnight on Friday.
While Aeroflot will no longer be allowed to serve Poland once the ban enters into force, LOT continued to schedule services to both Moscow Sheremetyevo and St Petersburg Pulkovo, but has now also suspended those routes.
The Czech Republic will probably ban all Russian air operators from using its airspace, the agency Ria Novosti reports.
The move will be the second of its kind in the European Union, after Poland.
Earlier, the UK had banned all Russian aircraft to fly to or over the country. The Russian Federation replied by banning all UK aircraft over its territory.
UPDATE 25 Feb 23:00
Bulgaria follows suit and also closes its airspace to Russian airliners.
UPDATE 26 Feb 16:00
Citing “unfriendly decisions” by Warsaw, Prague, and Sofia in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, Russia’s federal aviation agency announced that it closes its airspace for passenger airlines owned by companies in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria, or registered in those countries.
Poland instead of closing airspace for Russian airlines, should grab the opportunity and take back Lviv from the Ukraine ???
To Viktor Kokot – get lost, you Kremlin-paid troll!
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