MOSCOW/LONDON/DUBAI – Russia vowed to head off any disruption to civil aviation on Wednesday after a warning by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that its drones had made Russian airspace dangerous to use.
Zelenskiy warned airlines and insurance firms on Tuesday that the presence of Ukrainian drones as it responded to Russian attacks meant “the war started by Russia is closing its own skies”.
He said he was not targeting civil aviation.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday it had also officially notified the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace was not safe.
While European and US carriers do not fly over Russia due to the war that erupted when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, the airspace is used by other airlines from countries such as China, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.
Andrei Nikitin, Russia’s transport minister, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency: “We are constantly improving flight safety and airport security requirements, and we have solutions for all of this.”
“We are working in close contact with the Ministry of Defence and the Russian National Guard. And I believe that we will not allow any significant disruption to civil aviation,” he said.
On Wednesday, Flightradar24 data showed disruptions at Moscow’s main airport, while some airlines cancelled flights though they did not specify the reason for doing so.
“We continue to closely monitor the evolving situation in the region and adjust our flight schedules and routings as necessary,” airline flydubai said in a statement.
“As the situation remains dynamic, our teams are continuously assessing operational requirements. We recognise that some delays and diversions may occur … The safety of our customers and crew remains our highest priority.”
