Moscow is lobbying for the US to open its skies to Russian airlines as part of a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine. But there is a big problem with this scheme - the EU is not interested, and without Europe "on board", it will not be easy for Russian carriers to fly to the US, Politico reports, writes UNN.
Details
"Firstly, EU sanctions against Russia are firm, which includes a ban on Russian airlines flying in EU airspace," said a European Commission spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In addition to political decisions on sanctions, the EU representative also pointed to "serious safety concerns" related to the possible opening of EU airspace to Russian aircraft, as "it is unknown whether Russian airlines and air traffic services have been properly maintained over the past three years, which raises serious questions about airworthiness."
From a practical point of view, as indicated, opening European skies to Russian airlines, such as the national carrier "Aeroflot", would also place an enormous burden on the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
In addition to safety and certification issues, many Russian aircraft may never be able to land in Europe again, as they are not actually Russian but were stolen from aircraft lessors after the invasion, the publication notes.
Despite such problems, Russia is demanding the resumption of direct flights to the US as part of any agreement to cease hostilities. Such a step should be a consequence of lifting sanctions on "Aeroflot", Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 11. "The Americans considered this, [but] so far we have not seen any retaliatory steps," the Russian minister said.
So far, the Trump administration has not lifted any sanctions against Russia, but some signals give the Kremlin hope, the publication notes.
"Any attempts to ease restrictions for American and Russian airlines will increase pressure to achieve similar steps from European carriers. The latter have long complained about the additional costs associated with bypassing Russia's vast airspace when flying to Asia, which has given Chinese airlines an advantage," the publication says.
Despite these competitive concerns, Brussels, as indicated, "is afraid to start negotiations with Moscow about access to its airspace, partly due to the danger of Russian skies."
"A European Commission representative called the safety of Russian airspace "problematic", citing the Christmas crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight - allegedly after being hit by a Russian air defense missile - which prompted EASA to advise airlines to avoid all of western Russia," the publication notes, adding that Putin apologized for the accident but did not say Russia was at fault.