Aeroflot to halt international flights with exception of Belarus

By AP 5 March 2022, 3:06 pm

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Aeroflot's passengers planes are parked at Sheremetyevo airport, outside Moscow, Russia, on March 1, 2022 (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

NEW YORK — Aeroflot, Russia’s flagship carrier, announces that it will halt all international flights except to Belarus starting March 8.

The move by Russia’s biggest state-owned airline comes after the country’s aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, recommended that all Russian airlines with foreign-leased planes halt both passenger and cargo flights abroad.

It cited a high risk of foreign-leased planes being impounded as part of Western sanctions that ban leasing of planes to Russia.

Rosaviatsiya’s recommendation doesn’t apply to Russian airlines that use Russian planes or foreign planes that aren’t at risk of being impounded.

It also doesn’t apply to foreign airlines from countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia and have not shut down their airspace for Russian planes.

Aeroflot’s statement cites “circumstances that hinder operating flights” as a reason for its move.

Aeroflot says it will cancel return tickets for passengers who are scheduled to depart Russia after March 6 and travel back after March 8. Those with one-way tickets will be allowed to fly up until March 8. Earlier this week, S7, Russia’s biggest private airline, announced that it was halting all international flights starting Saturday.