Russia Bans British Airlines Following Western Santions

english.jpnn.com, MOSCOW - Vladimir Putin's regime began to retaliate against economic sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and other allied countries after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The Russian civil aviation authority has banned British flights from entering the country's airspace in retaliation for the ban on Aeroflot.

This move has serious implications for flights from the UK to Asia and vice versa, even though many airlines, including British Airways, have already avoided the country's airspace.

The Kremlin's decision came after the UK Department of Transport announced a ban on Russian commercial and civil aircraft from British skies.

Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said the measure was taken "as a response to unfriendly decisions by the UK aviation authorities regarding the restriction on regular flights of aircraft owned, leased or operated by a person associated with Russia or registered in Russia".

The ban takes effect from 11:00 Moscow time (8:00 GMT) and also applies to flights transiting through Russian airspace.

Explaining the magnitude of the impact, aviation analyst Alex Macheras wrote on Twitter that British airlines rely on Russian airspace for flights to the Far East, including South Korea, Japan, and China.

"[There will be] costly rerouting and extra flight times ahead for airlines as aircraft will now track south, across the Middle East," he said.