The choice got here after the Finnish transport authority claimed that Türkiye’s Southwind Airways is partly owned by Russian traders
The European Union has closed its airspace to Türkiye’s Southwind Airways over its alleged ties to Russia, Swiss-based information outlet Aero Telegraph reported this week. In accordance with the report, the measure is said to the sanctions towards Russia over the Ukraine battle.
The Antalya-based constitution airline was created in 2022 to ferry passengers between Russia and Türkiye however just lately requested permission to additionally function flights from Türkiye to Germany, Greece, Finland, and different EU states. Nevertheless, on March 25, the Finnish Transport and Communications Company banned the airline from its airspace, explaining {that a} probe had revealed that “the substantial possession and efficient management” of the provider is “linked to Russian stakeholders,” and due to this fact it can’t be allowed to function within the EU state.
In accordance with the Aero Telegraph, on March 28, Brussels knowledgeable EU member states that Southwind Airways is topic to a take-off, overflight and touchdown ban beneath its regulation that covers sanctions on Russia, successfully banning the provider from EU airspace. The measure was to return into power instantly.
The Affiliation of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) on Friday cancelled Southwind flights between Antalya and Kaliningrad, citing the ban, as a result of the flights beforehand went via EU airspace.
Questions in regards to the background of the Turkish provider have been first raised by the German tabloid Bild final December. The information outlet on the time reported that Southwind had been established by Russian nationals and has leased most of its employees and fleet from Nordwind Airways, a Russian provider that’s banned from the EU. In response, Safa Oruc, head of aviation security at Southwind, instructed the Finnish YLE information outlet that the airline was owned by a Turkish nationwide and each the provider and its plane have been registered in Türkiye.
The EU closed its airspace to Russian plane and airways as a part of sanctions towards Russia shortly after the beginning of the Ukraine battle in February 2022. Comparable measures have been launched by the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Russia imposed an analogous ban on airways from these international locations in response.
In February, the EU and US launched one more set of sanctions towards Russia that focused a wide range of entities in a number of international locations, together with Türkiye. A complete of 16 Turkish firms have been sanctioned for allegedly facilitating the transit of dual-use items that could possibly be utilized by the Russian navy. Washington additionally warned Ankara that Turkish banks and extra firms could possibly be hit by secondary sanctions for doing enterprise with Russian entities.