United States closes its airspace to Russian aircraft
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
The US government has closed its airspace to Russian flights. This adds the US to a number nations including Canada and several others in Europe that have shut down their airspace to Russian aircraft following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.In his first State of the Union address, President Joe Biden said the United States would ban Russian planes from its airspace, and vowed Putin would pay a heavy price for his decision to invade Ukraine. "He has no idea what's coming," he said at the House of Representatives."We have suspended major operations in Moscow and temporarily closed our office in Kyiv," the Ukrainian capital, a Boeing spokesperson said."We are also suspending parts, maintenance and technical support services for Russian airlines. As the conflict continues, our teams are focused on ensuring the safety of our teammates in the region." On Tuesday, United Airlines announced that it would temporarily suspend flights over Russian airspace, joining other major US carriers who have taken similar steps following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.In recent days, United has continued to fly over Russian airspace to operate flights to and from India. United Parcel Service, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines all confirmed this week that their flights over Russia have been cancelled.