MSGID: 2:292/854 10152127
TZUTC: 0100                  
The Russian airline Aeroflot will hardly fly outside its own borders from
Tuesday. Only flights within Russia and to Belarus will then continue. Other
Russian airlines are taking similar steps.
 
With the move, Aeroflot complies with an order from the Russian aviation
authorities. 
 
It called on airlines that have leased aircraft from Western companies to no
longer fly outside the national borders. This prevents those aircraft from
being seized.
 
European Union sanctions require those aircraft to be returned to the leasing
companies by March 28 at the latest. For those leasing companies, the chance
that they will see their hundreds of Boeing and Airbus aircraft worth billions
of euros again is becoming less and less.
 
For Russia, the decision also means that the country will become further cut
off from the outside world. Russian planes were no longer welcome in the
European Union because of the war started by Russia in Ukraine. Russian
airlines were still able to fly to other countries such as China and Turkey.
However, that option is now closed.
 
Currently, Russian airlines still operate numerous intercontinental flights to
repatriate Russians stranded abroad. For example, flights from Aeroflot,
Rossiya, Nordwind and Azur Air will take place on Saturday to countries such
as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, the Maldives, the Seychelles and
Egypt.
 
Only foreign airlines from countries that have not imposed sanctions against
Russia will still provide international flights from Russia after Tuesday.
These include Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways.

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