Moldova proposes ban on flights for Russian airlines

The Moldovan authorities are planning to impose a ban on flights for airlines from a number of countries, including Russian ones. This was reported by Esp.md, citing a draft law from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Republic.

The project, as the portal notes, has been submitted for public discussion and is intended to bring national legislation into line with EU standards. According to the document, a significant number of airlines from countries such as Russia , Armenia, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. will be included in the list of carriers that will be prohibited from operating in Moldovan airspace.

In particular, the following Russian airlines will be banned: Aurora, Aviastar-TU, Izhavia, Yakutia, RusJet, UVT Aero, Siberia, Smartavia Airlines, IrAero, Ural Airlines, ALROSA, NordStar, RusLine, Yamal Airlines, NordWind, Ikar, iFly, Pobeda, Aeroflot, Rossiya, SKOL, UTair.

The Ministry of Infrastructure of Moldova emphasized that the main goal of this project is to bring Moldovan legislation into line with international standards in the field of civil aviation. In this context, the authorities seek to improve the safety of air transport and protect the rights of Moldovan consumers.

Moldova is not an EU member, but applied for membership in the bloc back in March 2022. In the summer of that year, Brussels granted Moldova the status of a candidate country for EU membership, along with Ukraine. President Maia Sandu has not ruled out that Chisinau could join the EU by 2030, along with the unrecognized Transnistria, although Moldova currently does not control the region.

After the start of the military operation in Ukraine, Sandu repeatedly stated that Moldova would not join the West's sanctions against Russia, but later a number of restrictions were introduced. In particular, the largest bank in the republic, Moldova Agroindbank, suspended transfers in dollars and euros through the Contact, Unistream and Zolotaya Korona systems. In 2023, Chisinau joined the sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities that the EU introduced in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea to Russia.

Moscow considers Western sanctions illegal and demands that they be lifted. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called Moldova's joining the EU sanctions "a very hostile step" and promised to take retaliatory measures.