With European airspace closed to it, and planemakers refusing to service its aircraft, Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot is increasingly isolated.Airbus is the latest corporate giant to dump Russia, pledging on Wednesday to cease its support to the country’s aviation industry.
The move follows an announcement by rival planemaker Boeing on Tuesday evening, which said it was suspending parts, maintenance and technical support to Russia following its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. Together with a complete closure of European airspace to Russian airlines, the country’s aviation industry is increasingly isolated.
Airbus said on Wednesday it would stop supporting companies such as Aeroflot, the Russian flag carrier, which operates flights on a number of Airbus models including the A320, the A330, and the A350. "In line with international sanctions now in place, Airbus has suspended support services to Russian airlines, as well as the supply of spare parts to the country,” the European manufacturing giant said in a statement."Services provided by the Airbus Engineering Centre in Russia have also been suspended pending further review."