ALERT Japan Airlines forced to cancel all flights to Europe on 3RD of March 2022

 

Japan Airlines said they would cancel all flights to and from Europe on Thursday.

The airlines, which normally use Russian airspace for their Europe flights, join a growing number of carriers that have cancelled or rerouted flights between Europe and north Asia in the wake of the crisis.

The airline is citing safety concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“We are continuously monitoring the situation, but given the present situation in Ukraine and the different risks, we have decided to cancel flights,” a JAL spokesperson told Reuters.

BREAKING Russian airline Aeroflot suspends all international flights due to ‘circumstances that impede flight operations’

 

Aeroflot is suspending all international flights from March 8.

On Saturday, Aeroflot informed about the suspension of all international flights from March 8 (00:00 Moscow time) due to ‘additional circumstances that impede flight operations’.

The cancellation also applies to international destinations off Rossiya and Aurora airlines (flights in the range SU5400-5799 and SU5950-6999).

To mitigate the risks of impossibility to use return flights to Russia for its passengers, Aeroflot, starting from March 6 (00:00 Moscow time), stops admitting passengers to international flights who have round-trip air tickets with a return leg to the Russian Federation in the period after March 8, 2022 of the year.

Passengers on international flights with one-way tickets departing from the Russian Federation will be accepted for transportation until the flight is terminated.

Passengers of canceled international flights can apply for a full refund of the ticket price.

Passengers of international flights who are abroad and have two-way tickets with a used flight segment from the Russian Federation can apply to the carrier for reissuing the return segment to Russia until the flight is terminated.

For passengers who will remain abroad by the time the flights are terminated, the airline will make every effort to organize their return to Russia.

Aeroflot will continue to operate domestic flights and to Minsk, Belarus.

What fighter jets the European Union will give to Ukraine?

 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked the European Union for jet fighter jets some EU countries plan to supply them, EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday.

Any planes would be supplied directly by EU member states and not funded through an arrangement announced earlier for the EU to finance weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

Mr. Borrell said that Mr. Kuleba had requested planes that Ukrainian Air Force pilots can fly. Ukraine’s jet fighters are Soviet-built MiG and Sukhoi models.

Since training a fighter pilot to fly a type of aircraft is a time-consuming and expensive process, it seems reasonable to assume that the only rapid transfer possible might involve a fighter already serving in the Ukraine Air Force.

Some current EU members that were once part of the USSR-led Warsaw Pact still fly such planes or have old ones parked.

These countries plan to hand over their warplanes to #Ukraine.

• Bulgaria (MiG-29) 16 units
• Bulgaria (Su-25) 14 units
• Poland (MiG-29) 28 units
• Slovakia (MiG-29) 12 units

The aircraft could be deployed at the Polish airport, where Ukrainian pilots will carry out combat missions.

ALERT Russia bans airlines from 36 countries from using its airspace

 

Russia has banned airlines from 36 countries from using its airspace in a tit-for-tat response to Western sanctions.

On Sunday, Europe shut its skies to Russian owned or controlled planes. The announcement means all planes, including the private jets of oligarchs, will now be unable to land in, take off from or fly over any EU nation.

It is one of a number of sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

On Monday, the Russian aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, said: “A restriction has been imposed on flights for airlines of 36 countries in accordance with international law as a retaliatory measure for the ban imposed by the European states on the flights of commercial airliners operated by Russian airlines and/or registered in Russia.”

The measures mean airlines will have to make long detours on some routes, potentially raising the cost of fuel and tickets.

The countries banned from Russia’s airspace are: Albania, Anguilla, Austria, Belgium, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (including Greenland, the Faroe Islands), Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK.

Swiss International Airlines, which is owned by Germany’s Lufthansa, said that it had cancelled flights from Zurich to Moscow despite Switzerland not appearing on Russia’s list of banned countries.

A spokesperson for the Swiss airline also said it was not flying through Russian airspace.

Ukraine International Airlines forced to suspend all regular and charter flights

 

Ukraine International Airlines announces the suspension of scheduled and charter flights to and from Ukraine due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace for civilian airspace users until 23:59 on February 24, 2022, Kyiv time.

UIA maintains and will maintain liaison with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine. All UIA passengers and citizens of Ukraine who have found themselves abroad and must return to Ukraine must register on the state website of the State Registration of Ukrainian Citizens

Registered citizens will be provided with information about flights to these points and to points of arrival in Ukraine.

All current information on the further status of flights will be posted on the official UIA website. Passengers of canceled flights will be informed by e-mail or phone, which are specified in the reservation. Passengers, please, check the availability of relevant contact information at Ukraine International Airlines – e-mail, individual mobile phone number.

JAMES G. WAWERU

Senior aviation Editor,

James is a navigator/FOM2 currently blogging at airbizafrica. 

He is an aviation ethusiast and has an eye for details that 

often helps him spot the best stories of the day... 

airBaltic suspends night flights to and from Ukraine

 

airBaltic has temporarily suspend overnight flights to and from Ukraine.

As the geopolitical situation in the country deteriorates, the decision will remain in place until at least the end of February.

As a result of the suspension, the airline has cancelled five overnight rotations between Kyiv and Riga as well as two rotations between Odessa and Riga.

The airline said it will contact the affected passengers and offer them to be rebooked on other connections.

The Latvian carrier will continue to provide flights from Kyiv to both Riga and Vilnius.

A statement said: “The safety of our passengers and employees is the main priority of airBaltic.

“airBaltic is evaluating the current situation before each flight and following the recommendations issued by official authorities.

“airBaltic is flexible and ready to adjust its flight schedule if necessary.”

This week airBaltic plans to provide daily flights between Kyiv and Riga as well as two flights between Kyiv and Vilnius.

JAMES G. WAWERU

Senior aviation Editor,

James is a navigator/FOM2 currently blogging at airbizafrica. 

He is an aviation ethusiast and has an eye for details that 

often helps him spot the best stories of the day... 

Ukraine is hoping to keep its airspace open to international travel despite Russia threat

 

Ukraine on Sunday vowed to keep its airspace open to international travel despite Western warnings that Russian troops conducting drills near its borders could invade at any point.

The Dutch carrier KLM on Saturday became the first major airline to indefinitely suspend flights to the former Soviet republic because of the rising risks.

“The airspace over Ukraine remains open and the state is working on preempting risks for airlines,” the infrastructure ministry said after convening an emergency meeting focused on the threat of Ukraine being cut off from international flights.

Industry analysts believe other international airlines may soon also ban flights into Ukraine because of the growing cost to travel insurers.

JAMES G. WAWERU

Senior aviation Editor,

James is a navigator/FOM2 currently blogging at airbizafrica. 

He is an aviation ethusiast and has an eye for details that 

often helps him spot the best stories of the day...