Russian airlines brace themselves for Ukraine air transit ban

Ukraine air transit ban: Ukraine’s decision to include most of Russia’s major airlines in its list of sanctioned organisations and therefore to bar them from  flying over its territory could cost them tens of millions of dollars, the TASS news agency reported lat week.
The move is a further  blow to the  Russian airline industry which is already struggling with the country’s recession and the subsequent collapse in demand for international travel.
On Wednesday, Ukraine published a list of more than  400 individuals and 90 companies that were to be subject to the sanctions, including Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Transaero, VIM Airlines, Rossiya, Ural Airlines and Orenair. Companies on the list face “limitations, [and the] partial or complete termination of transit of resources, flights and cargoes on the territory of Ukraine,” according to the order,  published on the Ukrainian president’s website. 
It is as yet  unclear if  the sanctions would lead to a total ban on Russian planes flying over Ukrainian territory, with Interfax  reporting that Russian airlines were continuing to fly planned routes.
A comprehensive ban would be costly, according to the head of Russia’s Association of Air Transport Operators Vladimir Tasun, as it would add up to 40 minutes to flight times to Turkey, a popular holiday destination with Russians, and cause losses of “tens of millions of dollars” to airlines.