President Joe Biden Tuesday announced a ban on Russian flights from American airspace following similar moves by the European Union and Canada following Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
“I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding squeeze on their economy,” Biden said in his State of the Union address.
The orders will take effect by the end of the day Wednesday and will suspend operations of all aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, chartered, leased, or controlled by, for, or for the benefit of, a person who is a Russian citizen.
This includes passenger and cargo flights, and scheduled as well as charter flights “effectively closing America’s air space to all Russian commercial air carriers and other Russian civil aircraft,” the Transportation Department said.
Late on Tuesday, United Airlines said it had temporarily suspended flying over Russian airspace, joining other major US carriers who have taken the step after Russian troops last week poured into Ukraine.
Rulers’ World gathered that United had been continuing to fly over Russian airspace to operate some flights to and from India in recent days. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), American Airlines and United Parcel Service (UPS.N) all confirmed this week they had halted flights over Russia.
United is cancelling two flights to India for Tuesday and Wednesday as it evaluates how it could continue to operate via a different route that does not use Russian airspace.
Russian flights have been effectively barred from US destinations for the most part in recent days because of bans on the use of Canadian and European airspace. Some foreign governments have privately questioned why the United States did not move faster to ban Russian planes as have some US lawmakers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has asserted Ukraine committed “genocide” in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, without presenting evidence, and said the invasion, called a “special operation” by Russian officials, was therefore justified to end it.
