FAA Expands No-Fly Zone, Prohibits US Flights Over Ukraine, Belarus And Western Russia

Russia Ukraine News: The FAA has issued Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) expanding the area in eastern Europe and Russia where US airlines and US pilots cannot operate.

New Delhi: Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Federal Aviation Administration expanded its no-fly zone in Eastern Europe. The FAA issued Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) expanding the area in eastern Europe and Russia where US airlines and US pilots cannot operate. For the unversed, NOTAM is a notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations but not known far enough in advance to be publicized by other means.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, “The expanded NOTAMs now cover the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus and a western portion of Russia. Prior to today’s restrictions, the FAA prohibited operations in an eastern region of Ukraine. These restrictions do not apply to military operations.”

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending in troops and tanks from three sides in an attack that could rewrite the global post-Cold War security order. Ukraine’s government pleaded for help as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee. Military forces battling Russians on multiple fronts suffered scores of casualties, said reports.

“Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won’t give up its freedom,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted. In a video address, he said that 137 “heroes,” including 10 military officers, had been killed and 316 people wounded. The dead included all border guards on the Zmiinyi Island in the Odesa region, which was taken over by Russians.