The Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport, also known as Rosaviatsiya, has extended a flight ban on domestic services across 11 airports in central and southern Russia due to safety concerns in the area amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
On March 24, 2022, Rosaviatsiya extended a ban for airlines operating flights to and out of 11 airports: Anapa (AAQ), Belgorod (EGO), Bryansk (BZK), Voronezh (VOZ), Gelendzhik (GDZ), Krasnodar (KRR), Kursk (URS), Lipetsk (LPK), Rostov-on-Don (RVI), Simferopol (SIP) and Elista (ESL). The airports listed will remain closed until April 1, 2022.
“Temporary restrictions on flights to the airports of the Russian cities of Anapa, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, and Elista have been extended until 3:45 a.m. Moscow time on April 1, 2022,” according to the agency, cited by Interfax.
The local carriers were advised to redirect flights to five other airports – Sochi (AER), Volgograd (VOG), Mineralnye Vody (MRV), Stavropol (STW), and Moscow (DME) – instead.
This is the fifth time that Rosaviatsiya has extended a temporary flight ban on domestic services across the listed Russian airports. Flight restrictions were initially implemented on February 24, 2022, when Russian forces invaded Ukraine, prompting millions of Ukrainians to flee their home cities.
The latest extension had been due to end on March 26, 2022.