The European Commission has unveiled the latest sanctions package against Moscow, which includes an extension of the flight ban on airlines from other countries flying to Europe if they operate domestic flights within Russia.
On February 24, 2025, as Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth year, the European Commission expressed support for the European Council’s updated 16th sanctions package against Russia.
The Commission stated that the latest package targets systemically important sectors of the Russian economy such as energy, trade, transport, infrastructure, and financial services and is designed to “further ramp up pressure on the aggressor”.
“Every sanction package deprives the Kremlin of funds to wage war,” said Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission. “With talks underway to end Russia’s aggression, we must put Ukraine in the strongest possible position. Sanctions provide leverage.”
In the transport sector, the package extends the flight ban to enable the listing of third-country carriers conducting domestic flights within Russia or supplying aviation goods to Russian airlines. If these airlines are listed, they will be prohibited from flying to the EU.
The ban affects transactions with two airports in Moscow, Vnukovo Airport (VKO) and Zhukovsky Airport (ZIA), along with four regional airports, according to the European Commission.
Due to Western sanctions, Russian airlines are experiencing a major shortage of aircraft. According to a report by The Kyiv Independent, in December 2024, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation had only managed to produce seven of the 108 passenger aircraft it aimed to build since 2022.
In October 2024, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced that it was negotiating with some Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, to permit their airlines to conduct domestic flights in Russia. At the time, Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s largest airline, confirmed to AeroTime that the carrier was not considering operating domestic flights within the Russian Federation.
With Russian airspace closed to airlines from nearly 40 countries, the most heavily impacted markets are Europe-Asia and Asia-North America. This includes flights between the US and Northeast Asia, and between Northern Europe and most of Asia, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
