Mar 5, 2022 - World

Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot to suspend international flights

Erin Doherty

A sign reads 'Flight Cancelled' at the Aeroflot check-in counter in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on March 02, 2022 in Los Angeles, California — The Aeroflot check-in counter at Los Angeles International Airport on March 2. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Russia's flagship airline, Aeroflot, said Saturday that it will halt all international flights except to Belarus beginning Tuesday, AP reports.

Driving the news: The move comes after the country’s aviation agency recommended that Russian airlines with foreign-leased planes suspend passenger and cargo flights abroad.

The agency's recommendation doesn’t apply to Russian airlines that use Russian planes or foreign planes that are not at risk of being impounded as part of Western sanctions, per AP.
Aeroflot’s statement said "circumstances that hinder operating flights" drove its announcement, per AP.

The big picture: The U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union announced this week that they are barring Russian-owned and -operated flights from entering their airspaces in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot to suspend international flights

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