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Crimea and Sevastopol

Simferopol takes over air traffic control within Crimea

Earlier, the European air traffic regulator suspended flights to Crimea

© ITAR-TASS/Stanislav Krasilnikov

MOSCOW, April 03. /ITAR-TASS/. An air traffic control center belonging to "Krymaeronavigatsia" enterprise has been fully servicing flights within the Simferopol air traffic control zone from 10.00 am Moscow time April 3, the press service of the Russian State Air Traffic Management Corporation (ATM) said on Thursday.

“The equipment of the Crimean air traffic control center, certified according to international standarts, is in order and has been in a working condition. All the personnel of the traffic control center have the necessary certificates and are authorized to carry out all operations. All the air traffic controllers are ready to fulfill their tasks to 100%," the press service of the ATM Corporation said.

"The Simferopol air traffic controllers have guaranteed security of international flights in the Crimean air space," the press service said.

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European air traffic regulator suspends flights to Crimea

Earlier, ITAR-TASS reported that Eurocontrol, which regulates aeronavigation in the European Union, had notified European airline companies that flights to airports in Simferopol and Sevastopol and transit flights across the Crimean airspace were banned. Eurocontrol declared that it recognizes only the instructions issued by the Ukrainian authorities and regards the territory of Crimea as part of Ukraine.

Nonetheless, Russian air transportation companies continue regular flights to Crimea because the Russian companies recognize Crimea as part of Russia, but when performing flights to Crimea they bypass the Ukrainian territory.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency has already prepared a package of documents forwarded to international regulating bodies, notifying about a change in the jurisdiction of Simferopol airport and the Crimean air space, but the results were not immediately known.

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Crimea and Sevastopol

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