US Federal Aviation Bans Flights Over Simferopol, Dnipropetrovsk

MOSCOW, December 25 (Sputnik) — The United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended its earlier flight restrictions to include the airspace above Ukraine's city of Dnipropetrovsk and the Russian city of Simferopol in Crimea.

In an amendment to flight regulations introduced previously, the FAA “expands the area in which flight operations by persons subject to SFAR No. 113 are prohibited, to include all of the Simferopol (UKFV) FIR, as well as the entire Dnipropetrovsk (UKDV) FIR.”

The extended flight ban has been introduced as the FAA said it finds it “necessary to prevent a potential hazard to persons and aircraft engaged in such flight operations.”

In April, the FAA introduced Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 113, which forbids flights over parts of the Simferopol region, citing “safety and national concerns” due to increased tensions between Ukraine and Russia and potentially conflicting instructions with both Russian and Ukrainian air traffic services operating in the area.

Crimea seceded from Ukraine and rejoined Russia in March, after more than 96 percent of local voters backed the move in a referendum that has not been recognized by the Kiev authorities.

The airport in Dnipropetrovsk, one of Ukraine’s largest cities, located in the south-central part of the country, was closed by Ukraine’s State Aviation Service over “security reasons” earlier in December.