The US authorities have tightened the requirements for the three Russian airlines, according to an order published on the website of the US Department of Transportation.
In accordance with the new order, Aeroflot, Yakutia and AirBridgeCargo are now obliged to provide schedules of all “combined and cargo” flights, at least one of the destinations of which are American airports. In addition to the flight map, companies are required to disclose their duration, frequency, time of departure and arrival, and the type of equipment used. At the same time, information must be submitted at least 30 days before the flight.
The reason for the tightening of measures against Russian companies in the US ministry is the actions of the Russian authorities. The document explains that Russia “deviated from the reciprocity regime when it refused to allow US air carriers to cross Russian airspace, instead, by unilaterally changing the route to the eastbound point of arrival into the airspace Russia”. These actions, noted in the ministry, have led to significant violations of cargo air traffic between Europe and Asia.
The fact that the term of transit permits for US airlines is coming to an end, it became known in mid-April, when the US State Department announced that the Russian Ministry of Transport had postponed negotiations on the extension of permits that operated until May. As a result, permits for three of the four routes were extended until October, and Maksim Sokolov, who at that time was the Minister of Transport, said he expected to begin negotiations with the United States on a fourth in the near future.