Flights operated by Russian airlines permitted again; the Czech Republic and Russian want to agree

Flights operated by Russian airlines permitted again; the Czech Republic and Russian want to agree
2/7/2019Press releases

The current situation in the air traffic between the Czech Republic and Russian Federation results from the failure of aviation authorities of both countries to reach an agreement. In this connection, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation limited unilaterally the right of flying over the Siberian part of the Russian territory for České aerolinie, a.s. on their flights from/to Prague and Soul, which had been used by the Czech carrier for long. The Czech side considers this step to be a breach of the existing arrangements, so it has limited the rights of Russian air carriers pursuant to the Air Transport Agreement (1966).

Flights operated by Russian airlines permitted again; the Czech Republic and Russian want to agree

The situation has been currently discussed intensively both with the Russian side and with air carriers.

In the morning of 2 July 2019, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation permitted flights operated by České aerolinie, a.s. until 7 July 2019. Immediately afterwards, the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic commenced a reciprocal action against Russian air carriers. As a result, the flights will be permitted until 7 July 2019 too. Russian carriers' flights are being permitted on a continuous basis, therefore there should be no major traffic disruption.

In the interim, both sides will actively negotiate to reach an agreement. The Czech side does not intend to block the air traffic between the two countries, but it must defend legitimate interests of its air carriers.

In this connection, the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic regrets the inconvenience and complications experienced by passengers, which, however, was caused by the initial decision of the Russian side. The Czech side will aim to minimise the negative impacts on the passengers




 
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