Russia flight bans add to crisis in EU skies

Russia has banned some Austrian and French flights, amid disarray in European skies after the Belarus hijacking.

Austrian Airlines and Air France cancelled flights to Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday (27 May) when Russia denied them permission to divert around Belarus, in line with new EU sanctions.

Russia did so because “politicisation” of flight routes was “unacceptable and would be dangerous in terms of aviation safety”, Russia’s ambassador in Vienna, Dmitry Lyubinsky, said on Facebook.