Effective 27FEB, the Canadian government prohibited Russian airlines from entering Canadian airspace. The move came as part of Ottawa’s escalating response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly also announced that any Russian-owned, chartered, or operated aircraft are prohibited from Canadian airspace, including in the airspace above Canada’s territorial waters.
The closure is effective until further notice, according to a government of Canada statement.
“All of Canada is united in its outrage of President Putin’s aggression against Ukraine. In response, we have closed Canadian airspace to Russian-owned or operated aircraft. The Government of Canada condemns Russia’s aggressive actions and we will continue to take action to stand with Ukraine,” said Alghabra.
“Canada will continue to do everything it can against the Russian regime’s aggression. We are united with our allies in our unwavering support to Ukraine and are working to bring this unprovoked war to an end,” added Joly.
The entire European Union also banned Russian aircraft from its airspace on 27JAN, announced European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on 27FEB.
The U.K. government first announced a ban on Russian flights within its airspace as of 25FEB.
Russian Airline Violates Ban
However, the same day that the ban was implemented, Transport Canada reported that Russian airline Aeroflot had already violated the previously announced ban.
"We are aware that Aeroflot Flight 111 violated the prohibition put in place earlier today on Russian flights using Canadian airspace," Transport Canada said in a tweet late on 27FEB.
Flight 111 travels from Miami to Moscow and took off at 3:12 p.m. ET, according to FlightRadar24.
While there are no direct flights between Russia and Canada, several Russian flights passed through Canada prior to the ban, en route to other countries.
Transport Canada said it will launch a review of Aeroflot and Canada's privately-owned air-traffic control service provider Nav Canada following the violation.
"We will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action and other measures to prevent future violations," the Canadian regulator said.
Nav Canada confirmed to Reuters that Aeroflot did enter the Canadian airspace, and said the flight was declared as a “humanitarian flight,” as it entered Canadian airspace which requires special handling by air traffic control under normal circumstances.
"We are currently cooperating with Transport Canada to investigate the occurrence, and are working with neighbouring Air Navigation Service Providers to support rerouting of aircraft prior to them entering Canadian-controlled airspace," Nav Canada said.
