Russia Contemplates Banning European Flights Over Siberia

The Russian government is considering limiting or banning flights of European airlines over its territory, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported on Tuesday.

The discussion over the limitation of flights comes after the EU imposed sanctions on Russia.

The Russian low-cost airline Dobrolyot has also said it will be suspending its flights because of the EU sanctions on its plane lease agreement because the EU extended sanctions on the carrier for operating flights to Crimea.

The company posted on its website, "Following cancellation of a lease agreement for Boeing 737-800 planes because of sanctions introduced by the EU against Dobrolyot, we are forced to temporarily halt flights on all routes as of Aug. 4.”

To fly to Asia from Europe, airline fly over Siberia and pay a small fee to Russian Aeroflot.

The ban could affect not just European carriers including Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France, but would also impact Aeroflot which gets around $300 million a year in overflight fees from airlines flying across Russian territory, Reuters reports.