Russia threatens to close airspace for Dutch companies

Russia is threatening to close its airspace to Dutch companies after Schiphol reduced the the landing spots for Russian airline AirBridgeCargo (ABC), the Telegraaf reports based on a conversation with Dutch ABC manager Henk-Jan van Keulen. Schiphol reduced the landing spots to reduce the number of flight movements at the airport, according to the newspaper.

Van Keulen told the newspaper that he hopes a solution will be found.

According to the Telegraaf, KLM is already preparing for the Russian airspace closure. It could cost the Dutch airline a lot of money, as destinations like St Petersburg and Moscow will no longer be accessible. Flights to East Asia will also have to detour around Russia, which could increase ticket prices by hundreds of euros, according to the newspaper.

KLM refused to comment to the Telegraaf, referring the newspaper to the Ministry of Infrastructure. The Ministry did not want to give a substantive comment.