Russia Closes Airspace to Flights from 36 Countries

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency announced on Monday the country will close its airspace for 36 countries in a retaliatory move.

All European Union countries were blocked from using Russian airspace after the bloc announced it won't allow Russian planes to use its airspace.

Russia also restricted flights of airlines from the EU, as well as Albania, Canada, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Growing tension between Russia and western nations over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has so far had a modest impact on airlines, which are trying to recover from huge losses since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. They face jet-fuel prices that have climbed more than 50% since last summer and are likely to rise further because of sanctions against Russian oil and natural gas.

Airlines in the US and Europe are expecting to pack planes with transatlantic vacationers this summer. Helane Becker, an airline analyst for Cowen, said Friday that she continued to expect strong travel demand from the US to western Europe, but travel to eastern Europe “will be curtailed until there is some resolution or some assurance it won’t spread to other countries.”