BREAKING: Russia bans Maltese airlines

Russia has closed its airspace to airlines registered in any of 36 countries, including Malta, in retaliation for a similar move imposed by the European Union on Sunday.

The announcement means all planes , including the private jets of oligarchs, will now be unable to land in, take off from or fly over any EU nation.

On Monday (today) afternoon, the Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia, said: “A restriction has been imposed on flights for airlines of 36 countries in accordance with international law as a retaliatory measure for the ban imposed by the European states on the flights of commercial airliners operated by Russian airlines and/or registered in Russia.”

The full list of countries whose airlines are banned from Russian airspace is:

• Albania
• Anguilla
• Austria
• Belgium
• British Virgin Islands,
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark (including Greenland, the Faroe Islands)
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Jersey
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• UK

Flights from these countries can be performed with a special permit issued by the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency or the Russian Foreign Ministry.