The US government will ban Russian planes from US airspace, expanding flight restrictions as the West extends sanctions war in ukrainePresident Biden said Tuesday during his State of the Union address.
“I am announcing tonight that we will join our allies in closing US airspace to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding additional pressure to their economy,” Biden said.
The US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday evening that orders banning Russian aircraft and airlines from entering US airspace will become effective by the end of Wednesday.
The agencies said the blanket orders would mean that any aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, chartered, leased, controlled, for or for the benefit of a Russian citizen would be prohibited from flying over the United States. . The ban applies to scheduled and chartered passenger and cargo flights.
The US move, which was reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier, came in the wake of the ban imposed by European and Canadian authorities. The restrictions, for which Russia retaliated by issuing a similar ban on European and Canadian flights, impeded Russia’s access to vast swathes of the world. its conquest of ukraine Mounts.
The mutual ban on flights has altered global airline networks, forcing airlines to cancel flights and take more roundabout routes in some cases.
After European and Canadian restrictions,
PJSC, the country’s national carrier, said it has suspended all flights to European destinations.
Aeroflot said the closure of Canadian airspace means it will also cancel transatlantic routes, including flights to the United States, Mexico and Cuba from February 28 through March 2. Republic to help the Russians go home.
In March, Aeroflot was scheduled to operate dozens of flights to and from US cities including New York, Miami and Los Angeles, according to Cirium, a flight data provider.
American passenger carriers do not operate non-stop flights to Russia, but its airspace is part of a corridor for many long-haul flights to Asia, including air cargo services.
United Airlines Holdings company ,
Which normally flies over Russia on its way to India, said on Tuesday it would stop flying through Russian airspace.
Delta Airlines company
And the
American Airlines Group company
They also stopped flying through Russian airspace.
Cargo flights to and from Asia from North America account for a quarter of global freight traffic, according to the International Air Transport Association. Airlines executives said the majority of East Asians currently travel through Russian airspace.
US administration officials have expressed concern about disruptions to the supply chain already marred by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to people familiar with the discussions.
On Tuesday, large cargo carriers continued to cross Russia on routes to Asia from North America and the Middle East, including aircraft operated by
Chinese AirlinesAnd the
FedEx corp.
And the
Korean Air company
– Doug Cameron and Ken Thomas contributed to this article.
write to Alison Sider at [email protected] and Andrew Tangel at [email protected]
Copyright © 2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. all rights are save. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
It appeared on March 2, 2022, print edition as “The United States Prepares to Close Russia’s Airspace.”