Ukraine aims not to close airspace despite conflict

As Russia’s military troops continue to be present at the Ukrainian border despite diplomatic attempts to deter conflict, major airlines begin to avoid the country’s airspace for security reasons and exorbitant costs of flying insurance.

Nevertheless, Ukraine authorities recently declared that they want to cover substantial finances in order to keep airspace open. Costs are estimated at £404m.

Kirill Tymoshenko, deputy head of the office of the president, commented on social media:

"Ukraine is ready to make financial commitments for the safety of aircraft in the Ukrainian sky.

"To ensure flight safety, the government today decided to allocate funds from the State Budget Reserve Fund to the Infrastructure Ministry. Guarantees will be provided for insurance companies, reinsurance companies, leasing companies and airlines."

According to SkyUp, low-cost airline in Ukraine, insurance companies demanded airlines to urgently move their flights into EU airspace.

Meanwhile, British Airways does not use the country’s airspace at all and Lufthansa plans to cancel flights in the area.

The rising concerns come after back in 2014, during last conflict in the Ukraine, transiting Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down killing all 298 people onboard.

On the other hand, Wizz Air is still operating flights to this destination:

"Currently, we have not made any changes to our schedule and all of our flights to/from Ukraine continue to operate as normal.

"All passengers with booked flights to and from Ukraine are advised to regularly check their mailboxes for further information about booked flights", a recent statement from the company’s representatives quotes.

Tensions in the Ukraine have also affected the European stock markets, as shares from different travel groups dropped considerably.

Meanwhile, airspace over Turkey and Russia is increasingly busy and many countries are urging their citizens to leave Ukrainian territory due to fears related to the impending Russian invasion.

100.000 Russian troops are currently present at the Ukrainian borders.

source: bbc.com