UKRAINIAN, BELARUSIAN, AND SOME RUSSIAN AIRSPACE CLOSED FOLLOWING RUSSIAN INVASION
February 24, 2022
On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) issued several Notices to Air Missions (“NOTAM” or “NOTAMs”) to advise of the closure of Ukrainian airspace, Belarusian airspace, airspace in Western Russia, and developing restrictions in this area due to potential hazards for civil aviation in response to an invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Accordingly, airspace in the above-mentioned countries and areas will be closed, meaning no arrivals, departures, or overflights can be conducted, until further notice due to military restrictions.
The restrictions and closure of Ukrainian, Belarusian, and some Russian airspace to civilian flight operations came just after Russia launched an air, land, and sea invasion of Ukraine. Based on continued developments, some European aviation bodies have warned about potential hazards when flying to regions bordering Ukraine as well. Specifically, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”) issued a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (“CZIB”) which stated that due to high risks to the flight safety of civilian flights, all airspace users should “avoid an area of at least 100 NM within the borders of Belarus and Russian Federation surrounding the borders of Ukraine.” EASA decided to issue its CZIB due to the perceived risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft and the presence and potential use of a wide range of ground and airborne warfare systems. The CZIB is currently under revisions and EASA has advised that more restrictions could soon follow. To compensate for the closures of various country’s airspace, several re-routings of flights have been utilized via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6665).
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