The European Union has officially banned Turkish airline Southwind from its airspace over its alleged Russian control.
It follows a recent move to ban it by Finland.
The EU accused the airline of being effectively controlled from Russia.
“Our overall assessment indicates that a significant portion of ownership and effective control does not belong to Turkish individuals or companies.”
Southwind Airlines was established with backing from Russia based tour operator Pegas Touristik to operate flights to and from Russia.
Southwind has also been operating flights to Germany, Switzerland, Greece, North Macedonia, and Italy.
It has a fleet of about 12 aircraft.
The EU’s ban is effective immediately.
