Russian Planes Banned From Syrian Airspace

Russian Planes Banned From Syrian Airspace

The Russian aviation authority prohibited all commercial planes from crossing Syrian territory after a Russian plane had to change its course and make a detour while flying over the war ravaged Syrian territory in order to avoid being fired upon.

A plane that belonged to NordWind, a Russian airline was flying from Egypt to the central Russian city of Kazan. While crossing Syrian territory the pilot increased the flying altitude when he noticed combat taking place below the plane.

The NordWind airplane was carrying 159 people at the time. It landed in Kazan on time, however, the incident was clear news that measures had to be taken to protect civil planes from possible accidents.

A spokesperson for Russia’s union of travel agencies said that the pilots reported seeing flashes over Syrian territory, flashes that didn't seem to give away their source.

Russia’s aviation agency issued warnings for commercial airlines to avoid flying over Syria since February, before suspending flights over the war stricken country this Monday.

Aeroflot, Transaero and S7 the biggest airlines in Russia reportedly said that they suspended flights over Syria long before the aviation authority issued the ban.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it will look into the matter, but for now all Russian planes are banned from Syrian airspace.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday May 01 2013, 3:33 AM EST. Ref: RiaNovosti. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0