Ukraine: The Ongoing Conflict’s Effects on the Aviation Industry – AirlineGeeks.com

A plane lands at a field after a test flight. The photo is from AirlineGeeks.

Vincenzo Piscopo is a comedian.

The border between Russia and Ukraine has always been tense. Understanding the events of recent years is needed to better comprehend the reasons for this war. There were violent demonstrations in the main square of Kiev on the night of November 21-22, 2013. The signing of the Political and Economic Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union was delayed due to heavy economic pressure from Russia.

Russia would buy billions of dollars of Ukrainian bonds and discount the price of gas under an agreement with the Ukrainian president. There was an increase in violence after the attack of government forces against the demonstrators on November 30, 2013, leading to the ousting of President Janukovy. The situation of the peninsula facing the Black Sea broke out after the government crisis.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the self-government of the peninsula was declared on May 5, 1992. The region, whose majority is ethnic Russian, was annexed to the Russian Federation in a referendum after being occupied by Russian troops.

There was a referendum on the independence of the Donbass region in the Donec basin. The central government of Ukraine, the United States and the European Union were very critical of the referendum organized by the pro-Russian Ukrainians. Russia recognized the referendum. The part of the Donbass region that declared itself independent from Ukraine.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a surface-to-air missile in July of 2014), killing the The responsibility for this downing is not well defined, but preliminary conclusions state that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile from a farm in the area.

Recent Developments and the Donbass War

The independence referendum of the Donbass region was only recognized by the Russian Federation. The Russian president gave the order to attack on the night of February 23-24.

Less than 20 minutes after the attack began, Eurocontrol said that the airspace of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus could be dangerous to fly over. The airspace of neighboring Moldova was also closed.

Travel Bans

The local airline, Ukraine International Airlines, has announced the suspension of all flights, as well as the suspension of flights by low cost airlines Wizz Air and Ryanair. The United Kingdom has banned all Russian aircraft from flying in British airspace in response to the military invasion of Ukraine. There is no place for the planes of the aggressor state in Europe's democratic skies, according to the prime minister of Estonia.

Russia banned flights by the airlines of the United Kingdom, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Latvia.

The corridors of airlines flying between Europe and Asia have been reduced by the closing of air traffic over Ukraine. In the past few months, airlines have tried to avoid the airspace of Belarus by flying to Turkey or the Baltic States. The hijacking of the Athens-Vilnius flight was used to arrest an activist and his girlfriend. In the event of a complete diplomatic breakdown between the West and Russia, Putin could not order any aircraft to pass over his country. The consequences would be serious and companies would have to shorten routes.