European Union bans 21 Russian airlines, cites safety concerns

The European Union announced on Monday it would be blacklisting 21 Russian-licensed airlines from flying into EU airspace due to concerns that the airlines were shirking safety protocols in order to get around global sanctions in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

In a press release on Monday, the EU cited a “breach of international aviation safety standards,” further explaining that after Putin authorized the seizure of US and EU-leased commercial aircraft in order to skirt sanctions and keep the flow of travel and goods inside Russia going.

The EU claims Russia has been allowing the aircraft to fly without regard for proper safety standards. 

“The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency has allowed Russian airlines to operate hundreds of foreign-owned aircraft without a valid Certificate of Airworthiness. The Russian airlines concerned have knowingly done so in breach of relevant international safety standards,” said Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean.

Included in the list of banned airlines is Russia’s national airline, Aeroflot. However, Vălean was sure to point out the move was strictly based on safety.

“We are living in the context of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. However, I want to make it crystal-clear that this decision is not another sanction against Russia; it has been taken solely on the basis of technical and safety grounds. We do not mix safety with politics,” she said.