Aviation

Air France joins European airlines suspending flights to Kyiv

by Sarakshi Rai - 02/21/22 10:49 AM ET

Air France has joined other European airlines in suspending flights to Kyiv on Monday as tensions continue to mount between Ukraine and Russia.

In a statement, the airline said it was suspending its Paris-Kyiv route on Feb. 22 as a “precautionary measure,” the airline said in a statement to Reuters.

“Air France is constantly monitoring the geopolitical situation in the territories it serves,” it added.

“Air France will regularly reassess the situation and reminds that the safety and security of its flights, its customers and its crews, is an absolute imperative,” the airline said in a statement to The Washington Post.

This comes as Dutch airline KLM announced on Saturday that it is canceling flights into Ukraine, a move that comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.

“KLM always puts the safety of passengers and employees first in the conduct of its operation. Choosing safe and optimal routes is a standard part of our daily practice,” it said in a statement. The airline added it is not yet clear when KLM will fly to Kyiv again.

German-based Lufthansa Group has also paused flights to the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Odessa until Feb. 28.

Swiss Air Lines, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, has also suspended its flights to Kyiv from Monday to Feb. 28.

The flight cancellations come as President Biden said Friday that he was “convinced” based on U.S. intelligence that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “made the decision” to invade Ukraine. Moscow has amassed more than 150,000 troops across the Ukrainian border.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the U.S. believes Putin “has made the decision” to invade Ukraine, but emphasized that a diplomatic path forward will remain an option until the last possible minute.

Tags Air France Antony Blinken Joe Biden Ukraine Vladimir Putin