A Russian aircraft is currently an extremely rare guest at Western European airports. A few days ago, an Airbus A319 from Moscow landed in Geneva. After a much longer flight than before.
European airspace has been off-limits to Russian planes since Russia invaded Ukraine. A plane from a Russian airline at a European airport is therefore currently an absolute rarity. In Geneva, however, one could now be seen.
On Thursday afternoon (November 10), an Airbus A319 from Aeroflot subsidiary Rossiya arrived in Geneva. It was a landing under an exemption. The Airbus A319 with the registration number RA-73025 belongs to the so-called Rossiya Special Flight Squadron.
In exceptional cases, Russian aircraft are allowed to land at Western European airports with a special permit.
It has happened that, as an exception, planes have been allowed to pick up employees from embassies in different countries. The plane that has now arrived in Geneva brought a delegation to meetings with the United Nations.
Russia’s government airlines are operated by Rossiya Airlines and are used by the President, the government and their officials.
In addition to two Airbus A319s, the Rossiya Special Flight Squadron also includes nine Ilyushin Il-96s, ten Tupolev Tu-214s, three Tupolev Tu-204s, two Sukhoi Superjet 100s, a Tupolev 154 and an Antonov 148.
The flight took much longer than before. To fly from Moscow to Geneva, the A319 had to avoid Ukrainian airspace and take a detour.
He flew via Turkey, across the Mediterranean and then via Italy to Geneva. A flight from Moscow to Geneva used to take just over 3.5 hours. The flight on Thursday took more than 7.5 hours.
Putin wants to tighten control of the flow of funds to equip the army. Trenches in Crimea can be seen on satellite images. According to a US general, more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in Ukraine so far. All current voices and developments on the Ukraine war can be found in the ticker.
The Russian army flees from the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson. Thousands of soldiers are threatened with death. Because the retreat across the Dnipro River is difficult. So many fighters are caught in a trap of their own making.
The Russian journalist and Putin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov talked himself into a rage on Russian state television after withdrawing from Kherson. He claimed that Russia had withdrawn its troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv, among others, “as a goodwill gesture”.
The original of this article “Russian plane lands in Geneva – flight takes four hours longer than before the war” comes from aeroTelegraph.
