The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a warning to international airlines about the risks associated with flights in five Russian regions.
On its official website, EASA recommends that international air carriers do not operate flights within the airspace of Russia, located west of 60° east longitude, at all altitudes and flight levels. This includes:
- Moscow (UUWV);
- Rostov-on-Don (URRV);
- St. Petersburg (ULLL);
- Yekaterinburg (USSV);
- Samara (UWWW).
EASA believes that there is "a risk of unintentional targeting of civil aircraft in the airspace of the Russian Federation due to possible shortcomings in coordination between civil and military authorities and the likelihood of misidentification". It is noted that the activation of Russian air defense systems "may directly affect flights in several locations, including major international airports".
Most incidents occurred in airspace not closed by the Russian Federation during drone attacks or activation of air defense systems. This presents a high risk to flights.
The recommendation will be valid until July 31, 2025, and may be revised "depending on the changed assessment of the flight safety situation".
What Rosaviatsiya says
Rosaviatsiya believes that the recommendation has become part of a dirty competitive struggle. It is aimed at reducing the number of flights of Asian airlines to EU airports using the Trans-Siberian route system. And in general, it can be regarded as an attempt to cause reputational and economic damage to Russia.
They recalled that EASA had previously recommended that European airlines not use Russian airspace in the absence of actual confirmation of flight safety risks (cities located in the Rostov flight information region). There are also examples when EASA, without a corresponding assessment of the threat of flight safety risks, recommended not to fly over the territories of other states. But foreign carriers interested in the development of international communications continue to fly safely to these countries.
This recommendation "with concern for safety" looks especially absurd in the context of ongoing sanctions and bans on the supply of spare parts and components for aircraft, and not only for Russian airlines. That is, EASA selectively looks at safety issues. In conclusion, we note that Russian civil aviation is safe and is in the global trend, which is confirmed by objective statistics. The flight safety management system of all key participants in the air transport system is at the required level. Flight routes in the European part of the Russian Federation are developed taking into account all possible risks for aircraft.
Earlier, Rosaviatsiya reported on the increase in the number of aviation incidents in 2024. According to the agency, despite this, Russia is in the global trend in ensuring flight safety,
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