Ukraine's Skies Empty As Airlines Divert Flights Away From Conflict

Ukraine's skies have emptied as airlines divert their flights to avoid the conflict zone following Russia's invasion early this morning.

An estimated 1,000 mile-wide space across Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus is now void of civilian aircraft and flights between the UK and Ukraine as flights get suspended.

Flight Radar images provide a unique insight to the situation in the air as the situation develops.

The EU's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) warned that the airspace around the three Eastern European countries could pose a safety risk, according to MailOnline.

A spokesperson said: "In particular, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft.

"The presence and possible use of a wide range of ground and airborne warfare systems poses a high risk for civil flights operating at all altitudes and flight levels."

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office may not be able to provide consular support or help evacuating to British nationals, according to its travel advice website.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the ban on Twitter this morning.

Following the horrific events overnight in Ukraine, I’ve instructed @UK_CAA to ensure airlines avoid Ukraine airspace to keep passengers and crew safe. We continue to stand with the people of Ukraine and work with our international partners to respond to this act of aggression.

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 24, 2022

He wrote: "I've instructed @UK-CAA (the Civil Aviation Authority) to ensure airlines avoid Ukraine airspace to keep passengers and crew safe.

"We continue to stand with the people of Ukraine and work with our international partners to respond to this act of aggression."

Wizz Air cancelled all its flights from Luton Airport to Kyiv and Lviv in Ukraine today, a move which was closely followed by Ryanair and Ukraine International Airlines.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "Ryanair remains committed to our services to/from Ukraine and we look forward to restoring flight services there as soon as it is safe to do so.

"We sincerely regret and apologise for these unprecedented disruptions and any inconvenience that they will inevitably cause to our Ukrainian customers."

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson also said the company had been avoiding Ukrainian airspace for many years in line with its own risk assessments.

The spokesperson said: "The safety and security of our customers and people always comes first. 

"We continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and Russia extremely carefully following the escalation of conflict, with ongoing dynamic assessments of our flight routings based on the latest situation reports and always following the strict advice set out by the Department for Transport and other global regulators.

"This has included adjustments to our flight planning since December to further increase distance from the Ukraine-Russia border."

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned all Brits to leave Ukraine on Tuesday before they lost options to evacuate.