BERLIN (Reuters) – The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a new alert on Thursday warning non-European airlines not to fly within western Russia's airspace due to the risk of being inadvertently targeted. air defense systems.
EASA said the crash last month in Kazakhstan of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane after Russian air defenses fired on Ukrainian drones showed the high risk. At least 38 people were killed in the crash.
“The ongoing conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine poses the risk of civilian aircraft being inadvertently targeted in the airspace of the Russian Federation due to possible shortcomings in civil-military coordination and the possibility of misidentification,” EASA said.
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“EASA recommends not to operate within the affected airspace of the Russian Federation, located west of 60° E, at all altitudes and flight levels.”
The warning was intended for EASA-authorized airlines from third countries, as Russian airspace has been closed to European Union airlines since the bloc imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia's aviation sector.
Four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation told Reuters last month that Russian air defenses had accidentally shot down the plane. Passengers said they heard a loud bang outside the plane.
President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijan's leader for what the Kremlin called a “tragic incident”, although the Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting that a criminal case had been opened.
(Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Rod Nickel)
