Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s journey to Malta for the OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting took over seven hours due to EU airspace restrictions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Typically a four-hour flight, Russia Special Flight Squadron’s Tupolev Tu-204-300 registered RA-64057 had to navigate through Turkey, the eastern Mediterranean, and Libya to bypass EU countries and Ukraine on its flight RSD808 from Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) to Malta (MLA).
The EU’s ban on Russian flights was enacted in response to the invasion, with Russia imposing reciprocal restrictions on EU aircraft. Turkey, a non-EU member, permits Russian overflights, making it a vital corridor for Russia’s international travel. Similar detours occur during Lavrov’s trips to New York for UN meetings, where flights avoid European airspace by heading north.
