In a move to trigger Russian retaliation, American aviation giant Boeing on Tuesday announced it was suspending its support for Russian airlines and its operations in Moscow. Following similar actions by the European Union and Canada, the United States is set to ban Russian flights using American airspace.
“We have suspended major operations in Moscow and temporarily closed our office in Kyiv,” the Ukrainian capital, a Boeing spokesperson said.
American Airlines also mentioned that parts, maintenance, and technical support services for Russian airlines have also been suspended. Amid the intensified conflict, Boeing aims to ensure the safety of its team in the region.
Joining other major U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and American Airlines, United Airlines, and United Parcel Service (UPS) (UPS.N) on Tuesday suspended flying over Russian airspace.
In recent days, due to the bans on the use of Canadian and European airspace, Russian flights have been effectively barred from U.S. destinations for the most part.
In a response to the Russia-Ukraine war, the European Union and Moscow issued tit-for-tat airspace bans and Washington followed a similar action. Due to this, airlines are facing potentially lengthy blockages of key east-west flight corridors.
Earlier on February 22, President Joe Biden had announced that the US is sanctioning two of Russia’s largest banks, cutting it off from getting loans from the West and imposing sanctions on Russia’s elites and their families. While on Friday, the Biden administration announced sanctions against more Russian officials beyond Russian President Vladimir Putin and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov.
While US State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that the sanctions imposed on Russia have begun to impact heavily on the country.
Russia-Ukraine war
On February 24, Russia launched attacks on Ukraine that quickly spread across the country as Russian forces attacked…