A Boeing 737-800 owned by Russia’s Aeroflot was forced to divert to Istanbul after it entered restricted European Union airspace over Greece.
This is the third episode of the Russian company’s ignoring of the sanctions imposed by several countries, as a means of putting pressure on President Vladimir Putin to stop the attacks on Ukraine.
Russia has banned aircraft of 36 nationalities from flying over its airspace.
The SU7236 left Moscow (SVO) at 2:39 pm local time and is scheduled to land in Verona (VRN), Italy, at 6:54 pm.
However, ready to fly over Greek airspace, about 5 hours after take-off, the 6-year-old VQ-BWF logger returned and began a series of turns over the Toki district of Istanbul.
The flight took a total of 6 hours and 13 minutes, covering a distance of 946 nautical miles (1,751 km), according to the AirNav RadarBox platform.
With the Italian airspace closed last Sunday, following the European Union’s decision, the question is: Why did the “Aeroflot” plane take off on Monday noon bound for Verona?
At 3 pm on Sunday (27), Italy joined countries such as Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain in vetoing Russian aircraft, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a nationwide ban.
On Monday morning, the Italian Foreign Ministry urged its citizens to leave Russia by any commercial means available.
Canada, which has also closed its airspace to Russian aircraft, has condemned two Aeroflot flights over its territory without permission and is investigating the incident. Flights SU159 from Cancun to Moscow and SU111 from Miami to the Russian capital crossed Canadian territory without permission.
The lack of respect for the imposed sanctions appears to be the tone of Aeroflot. An 8-year-old Airbus A321-200, registered as VP-BOE, which departed on Sunday (27th) from Moscow (SVO/UUEE) at 1:01 p.m. for Geneva (GVA/LSGG), was stuck in The Swiss city, after the state also adhered to a veto against the movement of Russian aircraft over its territory. The plane that was supposed to take off yesterday to return to Russia is still at the Geneva station.
Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.