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Russia may close airspace to Dutch aircraft — media

Russia is threatening to close its airspace for Dutch aircraft after the Schiphol Airport canceled the landing permits for the Russian cargo company Air Bridge Cargo

THE HAGUE, October 31. /TASS/. Russia is threatening to close its airspace for Dutch aircraft after the Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam) canceled the landing permits for the Russian cargo company Air Bridge Cargo (ABC), which seeks to expand its operations at the Dutch airport, the Telegraaf newspaper reported.

According to the publication, "the Russian party gave the Netherlands time until next Saturday to settle the issue with landing permits."

Russia’s main requirement is to let ABC continue its operations at the Dutch airport and do not use the Liege airport in Belgium for these purposes.

"I know that the negotiations between Moscow and the Hague are going on at a high level, but I do not know the details. I hope that the issue will be resolved, it will be better for everyone," Henk-Jan van der Kader, manager of the Dutch branch of ABC said in an interview with the newspaper.

Otherwise, the Dutch passenger airline KLM will be the main victim, Telegraaf stressed.

"If the Russian airspace is closed, flights to Japan, China and South Korea will become 3-5 hours longer. This will lead to an increase in costs of the air carrier by 300-500 euros per passenger. In addition, the company will not be able to make flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg," the newspaper said.

According to the newspaper, the problem is that Schiphol has reached the maximum number of authorized flights this year, three years earlier than expected. This forces the air harbor to take unpopular measures as reducing the number of permitted takeoffs and landings. Although the negotiations on what to do next have been on for a time, no solutions have been found yet, since any cuts lead to aggravation of relations with other countries and job cuts.