EU issues warning about flying over Russian airspace due to safety concerns

The activation of Russian air defense systems in response to Ukrainian missile and drone launches poses significant risks to flight operations near major international airports. EASA pointed out that incidents have occurred in airspace not closed by Russia during such activations, with additional threats from GPS spoofing and jamming around conflict zones.

"EASA recommends not to operate within the affected airspace of the Russian Federation located west of longitude 60° East at all altitudes and flight levels."

A recent incident underscoring these risks involved an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 being shot down while en route to Kadyrov Grozny International Airport on December 25. This tragedy resulted in 38 fatalities out of 67 passengers onboard, following a drone attack on Grozny by Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin apologized to Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, but Russia refused to accept blame for the accident. Dmitry Peskov stated that an “objective, impartial” investigation is necessary to determine the cause.

Ilham Aliyev emphasized Azerbaijan's demand for justice: “If timely measures had been taken to close the Russian airspace near the city of Grozny...this tragedy would not have happened.”

The EU's Conflict Zone Alerting System was established after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. EASA notes that since early 2016, this system has facilitated cooperation among EU Member States and aviation stakeholders regarding conflict zone risks.