Russia closed the airspace of Czech aircraft, Prague reacted similarly
Following Russia’s decision, the Czech Republic will completely close the airspace to Russian airlines from midnight on Saturday to Sunday. No aircraft registered in Russia may enter Czech airspace, Minister of Transport Martin Kupka announced.
Until now, aircraft were allowed to fly over the territory of the Czech Republic, only arrivals and departures were prohibited.
“For two days now, the Ministry of Transport has not issued permits for non-scheduled flights for Russian carriers and has been closing down Russian carriers in the Czech Republic since midnight today,” Kupka told a press conference on Friday.
The Minister of Transport approached that these would specifically be the lines that connected Prague with Moscow and St. Petersburg. The traffic ban, which also applies to non-scheduled flights, will apply to all Russian carriers.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have also agreed in principle to close their airspace to Russian aircraft, Lithuanian Transport Minister Marius Skuodis said on Saturday.
Britain banned the aircraft of the Russian airline Aeroflot from landing on its territory with immediate effect on Thursday. In response, Moscow banned British airlines from entering Russian airspace, which is important for flights between Europe and Asia.