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Bloomberg
Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it continues to have permission to operate several weekly flights to Moscow and St Petersburg, after at least two European airlines scrapped routes when Russian aviation authorities withheld authorisation for changes to avoid flying over Belarus.
The German carrier operates seven weekly connections to Moscow and four to St Petersburg, according to a spokeswoman. Air France has resumed flights to Moscow after a three-day break, according to the Charles de Gaulle airport website, while Austrian scratched a flight from Vienna after Russian authorities didn’t approve adjustments to its flight path.
Russian authorities gave permission to Austrian Airlines for an alternative route from Vienna to Moscow, Tass reported.
The European Union’s air-safety regulator advised airlines to avoid flying over Belarus after the diversion of a Ryanair Holdings Plc flight, raising doubts about the Eastern European nation’s respect for international aviation rules.
Skirting Belarus causes minor changes in airlines’ anticipated flight path once they enter Russia, for which they need permission from local aviation authorities.
Carriers started to avoid Belarus after its strongman President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the Ryanair flight to be grounded in Minsk, where authorities detained a dissident journalist.