MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Air Transport Agency said on Monday Ukrainian air companies are asking to allow flights over Russia in the coming winter.
"Despite the fact that it was the Ukrainian side that initiated suspension of air service, Rosaviatsiya has received a letter from Atlasjet Ukraine air company asking to allow flights along three routes, namely from Kiev to Moscow, from Odessa to Moscow, and from Kiev to St. Petersburg, in the winter navigation season 2015/2016," the agency said.
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The agency said a similar request had come from another air company, UTair-Ukraine, for flights from Kiev and Lviv to Moscow.
According to Rosaviatsiya’s press service, Atlasjet Ukraine motivated its request by "long-term kindred and socio-economic ties between Ukrainian and Russian citizens" and "an acute necessity to organize direct air service in the interests of the two countries’ people."
"Sharing approaches to the development of air service between our countries on the basis of facts cited by the Ukrainian company in its request, Rosaviatsiya referred to Ukraine’s State Aviation Service on October 15, 2015 a letter with a proposal to swiftly hold talks on the entire range of problems in the sphere of air service at any place the Ukrainian side might choose," the press service said.
In late September, Ukraine banned all flights to the country by Russian air companies from October 25, 2015. Apart from that, Ukraine has banned Russian air companies’ transit flights via Ukraine if they carry goods of defense or dual purpose or Russian manpower.
Russia’s biggest air carrier, Aeroflot, along with 20 more Russian air companies were blacklisted by the Ukrainian authorities. These companies were banned, partially or completely, to make flight to destinations in Ukraine or via Ukraine. The sanction list includes Aeroflot subsidiearies Rossiya, Donavia, Orenburg Airlines and Transaero, as well as S7 (Sibir, Russia’s third air carrier in terms of passenger traffic) and Urals Airlines (ranked fifth).
The blacklist also features such air companies Globus, Vim Avia, Kogalymavia, Gazpromavia and Red Wings, all ranked among Russia’s top 30.
Russia, in turn, imposed a similar ban on Ukrainian air companies.