The EU banned the flights of a Turkish airline connected to the Russian Federation

The EU authorities have closed the airspace over the EU countries for Southwind Airlines, based in Turkey. The basis for this was the conclusions of the aviation authorities of Finland, which came to the conclusion that the actual control over Southwind is carried out from Russia. For Russian airlines, flights over the territory of the EU have been closed since February 27, 2022 – due to the Russian large-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began a few days earlier.

The ban regarding the airline based in the Turkish city of Antalya became known from the information of the Turkish publication Turizm Guncel, and it was also confirmed by the Russian Association of Tour Operators ATOR.

“Our general assessment shows that a significant share of ownership and effective control do not belong to Turkish persons or companies. We came to the conclusion that the airline and its control are connected with Russian players,” the Turkish publication quotes the head of the Finnish transport department, Traficom, Jarkko Saarimäki.

Finland refused Southwind a flight to its territory on March 25. And on March 28, as Turizm Guncel writes, the EU officially informed all the countries of the union that Southwind Airlines is prohibited from flying over the territory of the EU in accordance with the sanctions regulations.

Because of this, as reported by ATOR, Russian tourists could not fly from Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) to Moscow on the evening of March 29. They were supposed to be flying with Air Cairo, but it is said that the EU authorities could consider it affiliated with Southwind. As a result, the tourists were taken out with a delay of 11 hours, the flight took place over the Black Sea, Georgia, the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan, that is, passing the territory of the EU.

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia also reported the cancellation of Southwind flights from Antalya to Kaliningrad. Flights from Egypt to Moscow will reportedly continue, although they will take longer.

Southwind Airlines was founded in 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Its headquarters is located in Antalya. The German tabloid Bild writes that all three aircraft of the carrier were obtained from the Russian airline Nordwind. The company operated flights from Turkey to Russia, as well as Germany, Switzerland, Greece, North Macedonia. As noted by “European Pravda”, the ban on flights within the EU will make flights to Switzerland, as well as North Macedonia, impossible.