New EASA guidelines aim to reduce number of Asian airlines' flights across Russia - Federal Air Transport Agency

MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) - The new guidelines of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on flying to Russia are part of the sanctions policy and aim to reduce the number of transit flights of Asian airlines, a representative of the Federal Air Transport Agency said.

"These guidelines are nothing but a continuation of the policy of sanctions pressure of Western states on Russian civil aviation. In fact, the guidelines are yet another attempt to reduce the number of flights to EU airports operated by Asian airlines and using the Trans-Siberian network of routes," the representative told Interfax on Friday.

He said the EASA "seeks to regain the competitive advantage lost by its airlines" by issuing such guidelines.

As reported, the EASA tightened the guidelines for using the Russian airspace on Thursday, recommending that airlines fly around cities located west of 60 degrees east longitude - that is, almost the entire European part of Russia. The guideline will be in effect through July 31, 2025, and will apply, in particular, to airlines of third countries flying to the EU. European airlines stopped flying to Russia due to sanctions imposed after February 24, 2022.

"The guidelines 'with concern for safety' look particularly 'absurd' in the context of ongoing sanctions and bans on the supply of spare parts and components for aircraft, and not only for Russian airlines. That is, the EASA has a selective approach to safety issues," the agency representative said.

Russian civil aviation "is safe and consistent with the global trend, which is proven by the objective statistical data," he said.