DALLAS — The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, aka TRAFICOM, has notified Southwind Airlines (2S) that it cannot grant permission for the airline to operate flights to Finland.

After a thorough assessment, Traficom determined that the airline's substantial ownership and effective control do not belong to the designated contracting party or its nationals, as required by the applicable Air Services Agreement. As a result, 2S' operations would not comply with the EU Sanctions Regulation (Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014).

Southwind Airlines, a Türkiyeish carrier, began operating charter flights from Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) to Antalya Airport (AYT) in August 2022.

Specifics

TRAFICOM's Director General Jarkko Saarimäki stated that their assessment revealed that the airline's ownership and control are associated with Russian stakeholders rather than the stated Turkish individuals or companies. According to TRAFICOM, Russian nationals established the airline and have leased most of its staff and fleet from Nordwind Airlines (N4), a Russian airline prohibited from entering the EU airspace.

The Finnish transport agency added that if 2S' aircraft are used to enter Finland, they would have to open a broader formal investigation into the backgrounds of the company operating the aircraft, as they have not been able to verify the information published about the airline.

Furthermore, helsinkitimes.fi reported in December 2023 that there were concerns that 2S might be involved in transporting migrants to EU borders via Belarus, which has been accused of using migrants as a way to apply pressure on Western countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia.

The Finnish Ministry of the Interior echoed the same allegation, stating that Russian authorities have encouraged people to cross the land border into Finland to put a strain on the asylum system, further raising concerns about 2S' potential involvement in such activities.