Berlin (dpa) -The German government is preparing to close German airspace to Russian aircraft. As his ministry announced on Saturday evening, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing backs the plan and has ordered all the necessary steps to be taken to prepare for it. Several EU states have already responded to the Ukraine war by closing their airspace to Russian aircraft.
German airline Lufthansa announced that it would no longer fly to or over Russia for the time being, explaining that this was due to “the current and emerging regulatory situation” and would apply for seven days. Flights to Russia will therefore be suspended. Lufthansa is carefully monitoring the situation and liaising closely with national and international authorities.
Russia closed its airspace to aircraft from a number of EU states on Sunday night. According to a statement from the Russian aviation authority, aircraft from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia are no longer allowed to fly into Russia, the Tass news agency reported. The ban also applies to transit flights and overflights through Russian airspace. This is in response to equivalent steps taken by these states.