The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a new alert on Thursday warning non-EU carriers not to fly into western Russian airspace due to the risk of being unintentionally targeted by its air defense systems.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, denounced the alert as a further imposition of sanctions against Russian companies and an attempt to allow Western airlines to regain lost markets.
The EASA said the crash last month in Kazakhstan of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, after Russian air defenses fired at Ukrainian drones, demonstrated the high risk involved. At least 38 people died in the accident.
“The ongoing conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine presents the risk that civilian aircraft may be unintentionally targeted in the airspace of the Russian Federation due to possible deficits in civil-military coordination and a risk of false identification,” the EASA said.
“EASA recommends not to operate in the relevant airspace of the Russian Federation located west of longitude 60° East, at all altitudes and flight levels.”
The warning was aimed at third-country operators authorized by the EASA, given that Russian airspace has been closed to European Union airlines since the bloc imposed Ukraine-related sanctions targeting the Russian aviation sector.
A statement released by Rosaviatsiya on Friday said air safety was its highest priority and the recommendation was unjustified.
Get the latest national news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts sent directly to you as they happen.
“This recommendation is nothing more than a continuation of the policy of sanctions of Western countries against the aviation industry of the Russian Federation,” he wrote on the messaging application Telegram.
EASA, it says, is working to achieve a reduction in the number of flights from Asian carriers to EU destinations using the Trans-Siberian route.
“The EASA, through this recommendation, is simply trying to recover the lost competitive advantage for its companies,” he said.
Four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of the Azerbaijani investigation told Reuters last month that Russian air defenses shot down the airliner by mistake. Passengers reported hearing a loud bang outside the plane.
President Vladimir Putin apologized to the Azerbaijani leader for what the Kremlin called a “tragic incident,” although the Kremlin statement did not specify that Russia shot down the plane, noting only that criminal proceedings had been opened.
—Reporting by Sarah Marsh in Berlin; Editing by Rod Nickel, Ron Popeski and Matthew Lewis
