Brussels — Twenty one airlines licensed in Russia have been blacklisted by the European Union over safety concerns.
The EU's air safety list includes companies that are not allowed to operate in the EU because they do not meet international standards.
EU airspace is already closed to almost all Russian aircraft under sanctions imposed as part of efforts to halt Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean said in a statement on Monday that the decision was not another sanction and that the measure was being taken solely in response to safety concerns.
The Russian Federal Aviation Agency has allowed airlines to operate hundreds of foreign-owned aircraft without airworthiness certificates, she said. The certificates are also issued by the US Federal Aviation Authority and are a prerequisite for an aircraft to be allowed to operate.
Part of the EU sanctions against Russia is that spare parts and equipment for Russian airlines may no longer be sold to Moscow. According to EU data, three quarters of Russian commercial aircraft are built in the EU, the US and Canada.
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