The air space of Ukraine is currently closed due to russian invasion. Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova has also closed its airspace, as has part of Belarus.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration of the US government U.S told his pilots to avoid “the whole country of Ukraine, the whole country of Belarus and a western part of Russia”.
O United Kingdom banned Russian civil aircraft from its airspace. In response, Russia banned British aircraft from its airspace. THE Poland and the Czech republic announced plans on Friday (25) to also close their space to Russian airlines.
Countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have advised their citizens to leave Ukraine, and both the United States and the United Kingdom have advised against all travel to Ukraine.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has warned of a “high risk” for civil aircraft flying close to the Ukrainian border.
Here’s what we know about how travel in Eastern Europe and Russia could be affected after the conflict.
Can I still fly to Eastern Europe?
Air traffic still continues to move out of severely affected areas. In addition to sharing a border with Russia, Ukraine is also neighboring Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.
On February 25, EASA doubled the size of the alert zone around Ukraine, fearing “medium-range missiles penetrating controlled airspace”.
The zone expanded from 100 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles from the Ukrainian border with Russia. EASA says the expanded area now takes into account the “risk posed by the threat of missile launches to and from Ukraine”.
Moldova closed its airspace and Belarus banned flights over part of the country.
All countries bordering Ukraine were already on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tier 4 list as travel destinations with the highest risk for Covid-19. The US government also cautions against travel to Belarus and Moldova due to the conflict.
Florida travel consultant Gwen Kozlowski, an expert on Central Europe travel and president of travel agency Exeter International, told CNN Travel on February 24 that your agency received inquiries from people with trips scheduled to Polandbut no cancellations so far.
“We have customers traveling at the end of March and in April to Poland, but there is more than a month to go. It is impossible to say now how this will evolve. We’re basically in wait-and-see mode,” Kozlowski said via email.
Przemysłlaw Marczewski, representative of the National Tourism Organization of Poland, told CNN on February 25 that “travel to Poland is smooth and the borders of the Republic of Poland with neighboring countries are not closed”.
Marczewski noted that Polish land borders with Ukraine are open to refugees and that the travel industry is supporting Ukrainian citizens with temporary hotel accommodation.
Tourists with short-term plans to visit Poland are advised to book accommodation in advance, “since part of the hotel infrastructure can be allocated to those who need it”.
My flight must fly over Ukrainian airspace. Will it be redirected?
If you are on a route that would normally cross currently blocked airspace, the airline will reroute the flight. Feb 24 footage from the ADS-B Exchange aircraft tracker showed empty airspace over Ukraine and its Russian border.
“For aviation, safety is always the top priority,” said Willie Walsh, director general of the airline industry body of the International Air Transport Association, in a note sent to CNN on February 24th.
“IATA is helping to facilitate the timely and relevant sharing of information from governmental and non-governmental sources with airlines to support them as they plan their operations around the closure of airspace in Ukraine and parts of Russia.”
Can I still travel to Russia?
Russian airspace on the border with Ukraine is closed to regular flights. There are also some restrictions on domestic flights in Russia.
The UK banned Russian civil aircraft from its airspace and over its territorial sea from 24 February to 23 May. Russian airline Aeroflot generally operates direct flights between Moscow and London-Heathrow and Gatwick, according to its website.
In response, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, on February 25, imposed a ban on UK registered flights, as well as aircraft owned, leased or operated by a person associated with the UK, from transiting through space. Russian air.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the same day that he was drafting legislation that would lead to “the closure of airspace for Russian airlines”.
The Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic, Martin Kupka, said that the country will stop the operations of all Russian carriers on its territory. “As of midnight today,
we will stop operating all Russian air carriers on Czech territory,” Kupka said in the twitteron the 25th of February.
LOT Polish Airlines has suspended flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg. “For transit flights, there will be alternative routes planned,” the airline said in a statement. Delta Air Lines has suspended its joint aircraft operation with Russian national airline Aeroflot.
The U.S. State Department in January issued a Level 4 warning: Do not travel to Russia, citing “ongoing tension along the Ukrainian border, potential harassment against U.S. citizens, the embassy’s limited ability to assist US citizens in Russia”, as well as Covid-19 and other factors.
On February 25, the UK was more specific, advising its citizens against all but essential travel to certain Russian regions bordering Ukraine. The UK government also details information about increased restrictions and disruptions on Russian domestic flights, as well as warnings of heightened police presence and identity checks.
Canadian citizens are advised to avoid traveling to regions of Russia bordering Ukraine.
“Most of our travelers in Russia now seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach, but of course this could change based on how events unfold,” travel agent Kozlowski said via email, on February 24th.
Meanwhile, popular travel author Rick Steves, who organizes tours, announced on Thursday that he is canceling tours in Russia for the remainder of the year.
“Our mission (at Rick Steves Europe) is to help Americans understand the world through travel,” Steves tweeted. “But when we bring travelers to Russia, we also bring their dollars – dollars that would support Putin’s attack. We have now canceled all 2022 trips to Russia.”
How long will travel be affected?
The situation in Ukraine is moving fast. It is unclear how long airspace over Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus or Russia will be impacted.
According to the UK government’s travel notice, restrictions on domestic flights in Russia are in effect until March 2.
Contributed to this report: Pete Muntean, Antonia Mortensen, Ivana Kottasova, Anna Chernova and Vasco Cotovio, from CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
I am Sophia william, author of World Stock Market. I have a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and I have worked as a reporter for several news websites. I have a passion for writing and informing people about the latest news and events happening in the world. I strive to be accurate and unbiased in my reporting, and I hope to provide readers with valuable information that they can use to make informed decisions.
