Russian aircraft in US scramble to fly out as airspace closes this evening
Russian aircraft are left with only a few hours to leave the US, as the White House followed in the UK and Europe’s footsteps and decided to close its airspace to Moscow from tonight.
“The United States stands with our allies and partners across the world in responding to Putin’s unprovoked aggression against the people of Ukraine,” commented transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, echoing what President Biden said in his State of the Union address.
The White House’s decision, which is expected to instigate retaliation from the Kremlin, follows the decision made by several companies to halt operations over the invasion of Ukraine.
Plane manufacturer Boeing announced last night it was suspending maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines, while Airbus said it was analysing whether an engineering centre near Moscow could still provide services under the sanctions.
The restrictions are likely to deal a huge blow not only to Russian aviation, which constituted 6 per cent of global air traffic capacity, but also air cargo operations, City PM reported.
“While only 3 per cent of total cargo volume travels by air each year, that small amount accounts for approximately 35% of total cargo value,” aviation analyst Alex Macheras told City PM
“With airspace restrictions impacting airlines globally, we’re going to see the prices tick in an upwards trend as the impact trickles down – especially when combined with the high oil price.”