Yle: Finland blocked three dozen private flights of Russians

The Transport and Communications Agency Traficom did not let about thirty private flights of Russian citizens into the airspace of Finland. It is not known who exactly was on board the planes.

This is reported by Yle.

European Union sanctions prohibit Russian air carriers from using EU airports and airspace. The ban covers flights with a Russian operator, Russian owner or customer.

The Transport and Communications Agency may recommend the cancellation of a flight to an organization requesting permission for it. Usually, the problem flight is canceled voluntarily. And in case of refusal, the case is transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for enforcing sanctions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the right to prohibit such a flight.

It can be difficult for authorities to identify flights that should be banned because the owners of the planes hide behind anonymous offshore companies.

The Traficom agency did not tell journalists whose flights did not take place.

• After the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, the European Union closed the sky for Russian planes, banned the supply of spare parts for them, maintenance, support and insurance, and also obliged leasing companies to return the planes that were leased from Russian carriers. The USA also imposed sanctions on the aviation sector of the Russian Federation.
• According to the reports of the Traficom agency, rich Russians have been using liners registered in Finland for decades.