The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a new warning warning non-European carriers not to fly in western Russian airspace due to the risk of inadvertently coming under fire from its air defense systems.
Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, condemned the warning as a new imposition of sanctions on Russian companies and an attempt to allow Western airlines to regain lost markets.
EASA said the crash last month of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane in Kazakhstan after Russian air defenses shot down Ukrainian drones showed the high stakes at play. The crash killed at least 38 people.
"The ongoing conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine poses a risk of inadvertently directing civil aircraft into the airspace of the Russian Federation due to possible deficiencies in civil-military coordination and the potential for misidentification," EASA said.
"EASA recommends against operations in the affected airspace of the Russian Federation, located west of 60° east longitude, at all altitudes and flight levels."
The warning is intended for third-country operators authorized by EASA, given that Russian airspace has been closed to European Union airlines since the bloc imposed Ukraine-related sanctions targeting the Russian aviation sector.
A statement released on Friday by Rosaviatsia said air safety was its top priority and the recommendation was unfounded.
"This recommendation is nothing more than a continuation of the policy of sanctions by Western countries against the aviation industry of the Russian Federation," the Telegram messaging app wrote.
According to him, EASA is trying to ensure a reduction in the number of flights by Asian carriers to EU destinations using the Trans-Siberian route.
"Through this recommendation "The EASA is simply trying to restore the lost competitive advantage of its companies," she said.
Four sources familiar with the preliminary results of the Azerbaijani investigation told Reuters last month that Russian air defenses had shot down the plane by mistake. Passengers said they heard a loud explosion outside the plane.
President Vladimir Putin apologized to the Azerbaijani leader for what the Kremlin called a "tragic incident," although the Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only that a criminal case had been opened.