Ukraine closed the airspace so about 100 flights were diverted

The airspace has been closed after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war. Amidst the Russian attack, Ukraine fears that the flights coming to them may be cyber-attacked. Apart from this, there is also a danger of shooting down targeting civilian flights. According to the Ukraine State Air Traffic Service, airspace across Ukraine was closed for civil flights on Thursday in view of the risk.

Air India flight returned

Meanwhile today, Air India flight AI1947 returned to Delhi due to a NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) at Kiev Airport in Ukraine. A warning is issued in the air which may affect the flight. An image from the Flight Tracker software shows that hundreds of flights are being diverted in and around Ukraine after the closure of airspace.

air traffic busy

Due to the sudden release of NOTAM, airline traffic around Ukraine became extremely busy. Europe’s aviation regulator has said, ‘Currently, civil flights have been forbidden in view of the war situation in the region. These planes can be targeted during war, so till the situation normalises, the ban will continue.

Russia shuts down western airspace

Meanwhile, Russia has also closed its western airspace bordering Ukraine. Moscow has suspended domestic flights from several airports near its border with Ukraine, including Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Stavropol, until March 2.