Icelandic Airspace Closed to Russian Air Traffic

Yesterday morning, Icelandic authorities decided to close Icelandic airspace to Russian air traffic. Minister for Foreign Affairs Þór­dís Kol­brún Reyk­fjörð Gylfa­dótt­ir announced this on her Twitter page yesterday, mbl.is reports. In addition, visa facilitation for Russian officials, diplomats, business people, members of parliament, and government representatives has been suspended. The decision to suspend the agreement is in line with the European Union’s February 25 decision to partially suspend its visa facilitation agreement with Russia. 

On the Foreign Ministry’s website, Þórdís is quoted as saying, “Like our friends and allies, we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Iceland will fully participate in measures taken against the unlawful military actions of Russia against Ukraine.”

According to the Ministry, all aircraft owned, chartered or operated or otherwise controlled by citizens of the Russian Federation and all operators holding air operator certificate (AOC) issued by the Russian Federation are prohibited to enter, exit or overfly Icelandic airspace. The Icelandic airspace is approximately 180,000 km2.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs issued a statement, noting that visa applications for Russian tourists and students will still continue to be processed.