CAA bans Russian carrier Aeroflot from flying to UK following Ukraine invasion
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has banned Russian carrier Aeroflot from flying into the UK airspace following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Following the announcement by the Prime Minister in Parliament today, the UK Civil Aviation Authority has suspended the foreign carrier permit held by Aeroflot until further notice,” said a CAA spokesperson. “This means that Aeroflot will not be permitted to operate flights to or from the United Kingdom until further notice.”
The CAA’s ban was also confirmed by transport secretary Grant Shapps who said “Putin’s heinous actions will not be ignored, and we will never tolerate those who put people’s lives in danger.”
The news caused Aeroflot’s shares to tank 22.21 per cent to 38.52 ruble.
The move is part of a series of sanctions put forward by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “hobble” the Russian economy and includes banning Russian banks from operating in the UK, blocking Russian firms from raising capital in the City and asset freezing, Morning Wire reported.
Johnson described President Vladimir Putin as “bloodstained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest” who “is trying to redraw the map of Europe in blood”.
“We have a clear mission – diplomatically, politically, economically and eventually militarily – this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure,” the Prime Minister said. “At the G7 meeting this afternoon, we agreed to work in unity to maximise the economic price that Putin will pay for his aggression. For our part, today the UK is announcing the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen.”