March 2, 2022
During the March 1 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden announced U.S. airspace would be closed to all Russian aircraft. The closure comes in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I’m announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding additional squeeze on their economy,” Biden said.
The FAA has published a NOTAM and regulatory orders blocking Russian aircraft, including those aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, chartered, leased or controlled by, for, or the benefit of, a person who is a citizen of Russia. This includes scheduled and charter passenger and cargo flights.
Exceptions are available for humanitarian or search and research missions, which must receive appropriate clearance from the FAA and U.S. Department of State. Aircraft experiencing in-flight emergencies are also excepted.
Many European countries and Canada previously announced similar airspace restrictions.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.