Russia threatens airspace closure for indebted CIS airlines

Russia threatens airspace closure for indebted CIS airlines

Agence France Presse
October 1, 2004 Friday

Russia has warned several airlines from the Commonwealth of
Independent States, a group of 12 ex-Soviet countries, that it would
close its airspace to them from Octber 1 if they did not pay past fees
for over-flying its terrirtory, the Transport Minstry said Friday.

Airlines from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine have
accumulated 22.8 million dollars (18.4 million euros) in unpaid fees
over the past several years, the ministry said in a statement.

When contacted by telephone, the ministry was unable to say Friday
morning whether the ban on flying over Russian territory had gone into
effect.

According to Russian press, authorities are holding negotiations with
most of the companies and only those from Georgia risk having their
flights interrupted.

Sixteen Georgian airlines are liable for 3.6 million dollars in fees
for having overflown Russian territory between 1994 and 2001 but they
have all gone bankrupt since then.

Russian authorities have decided to make new Georgian airlines that
have taken up the routes of their predecessors liable for the fees,
which Tbilissi contests.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress