DALLAS — The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has warned airlines to avoid western Russian airspace due to heightened safety concerns from Russia’s war with Ukraine.

The advisory is part of a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin shared among EU Member States, EASA, and the European Commission to ensure flight safety and covers major aviation hubs in Russia, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, and Samara.

EASA cites the December 25, 2024, crash of Azerbaijan Airlines (J2) Flight J2-8243 in Aktau, Kazakhstan, as evidence. The Embraer 190 crashed after three landings in Grozny, Chechnya, resulting in 38 lost souls and 29 survivors.

Russian authorities denied air defense involvement, but Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev blamed electronic warfare systems and ground fire. Furthermore, analysts suggest the aircraft was likely downed by a Russian Pantsir missile system in automatic mode. Russian air defenses near Grozny were active on the day of the incident, responding to Ukrainian drone attacks.

The crash of the J2 Embraer 190 harkens back to the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines (MH) Flight MH17 over Ukraine. Experts note the shrapnel damage on the J2 aircraft’s wreckage resembles that of MH17, which was downed by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile.

Consequently, EASA highlights potential civil-military coordination problems and risks of misidentification, especially as Ukrainian drone and missile strikes penetrate deep into Russian territory. Most incidents have occurred in open airspace during drone attacks or air defense activations.

The safety agency also notes that Russian authorities haven’t shown proficiency in addressing airspace risks by implementing an efficient and proactive approach to deconfliction. Technical challenges include disruptions to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), with spoofing and jamming reported near the conflict zone and drone target areas.

you can read more about how GPS spoofing and jamming work, and what countermeasures are in place to safeguard aircraft here.

So far, Azerbaijani President has suspended flights to seven Russian cities and halted flights of Russian airlines from three Russian cities to Azerbaijan, affecting air connections with ten cities.

Additionally, Uzbekistan-based Qanot Sharq (HH) reduced flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg from January 20 to March 6, 2025, and Israel-based El Al (LY) suspended flights to Moscow. Other major airlines in the region followed suit.

As per the EASA warning, Air operators should monitor airspace developments, follow Russian authorities’ aeronautical publications, and guidance from their national aviation bodies.

Featured image: J2 Embraer 190AR (ERJ-190-100IGW) 4K-AZ65 Antalya Airport (AYT) June 18, 2016.

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