Aviation agency expects flight restrictions over Belarus until 2029

April 11, BPN. Restrictions on civil aviation flights in the airspace of Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine will remain in force until at least 2029, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) said in its recent report.

The ongoing post-pandemic recovery and Russia’s war on Ukraine continue to impact the airline industry, the analysts noted.

Ukraine closed its airspace to civil aviation flights following Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Moldova did the same for a short period of time, while Belarus and Russia banned flights over parts of their territories.

Many European airlines stopped flying over Belarus following the forced landing of the Ryanair flight in Minsk in May 2021. All neighboring countries except Russia closed the sky for Belarusian planes. 

EUROCONTROL was founded back in 1960 as a public organization for the management of European air traffic. Currently, it regulates air traffic control as part of the Single European Sky project. Neither Belarus nor Russia are members.