. ThAt a press conference held minutes ago, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the closure of European Union airspace to all Russian aircraft, whether owned, registered, or operated by Russian citizens or entities.

This collective measure comes after a dozen European countries have been deciding to move individually in this direction over the past few days following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

«They will not be able to land, take off or fly over European Union territory. That includes private jets of oligarchs,» von der Leyen said forcefully.

As far as airlines are concerned, this measure of the closure airspace to Russian aircraft will affect almost 900 flights and more than 100 thousand passengers per week.

According to information obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium, 858 weekly flights are currently scheduled between the states of the European Union and the Russian Federation. This represents an offer of 134,302 seats. Most of them have already been affected by the restrictions imposed by countries such as Spain, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Romania, Poland, and Spain, among others.

See also: Ukrainian government confirms destruction of AN-225, the world’s largest airliner

In response to Russia’s acts of aggression on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the EU leaders and institutions have strongly condemned these acts of violence. As well as the violation of international law. They demand that Russia immediately ceases military actions. Unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

NEWS IN DEVELOPMENT