Depicting the Ongoing War Zone in Ukraine
In the skies above Ukraine, commercial flights have been a rare sight since February 24, 2022. A visualization by The Economist shows the flight paths of planes over Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia on February 23rd and 24th, revealing a stark absence of commercial flights over Ukrainian airspace after the 24th.
The suspension of commercial flights over Ukrainian airspace is a direct result of the Russian invasion and the designation of the region as an active conflict zone by aviation authorities such as the EU Aviation Safety Agency. The Ukrainian government, along with airlines like Ukraine International Airlines, have refrained from operating flights until the war ends and Ukrainian airspace is considered safe.
Ukraine's airspace remains closed to all civilian flights, making it one of the highest-risk zones for commercial aviation due to the ongoing military conflict. Some Ukrainian airports, such as Lviv, have been reported as possible candidates for partial reopening in 2025, but this depends on a political decision and an acceptable security environment not yet reached as of mid-2025.
Neighboring Russian airspace also faces heavy flight restrictions and disruptions due to Ukrainian drone attacks and heightened military activity, further complicating regional air travel. The EU Aviation Safety Agency and other international aviation bodies continue to advise against any commercial overflights through Ukrainian airspace or its vicinity due to the high risk of misidentification and potential shoot-down incidents, similar to previous tragic events.
Pilots have avoided the airspace over Ukraine since February 24th, and no official reopening date has been set. The visualization does not provide information on the reasons for the absence of commercial flights over Ukrainian airspace after February 24th, but it is clear that the conflict in Ukraine continues to have a significant impact on regional and global air travel.
Until the conflict stabilizes and authorities deem the airspace safe, commercial overflights of Ukraine remain prohibited and suspended indefinitely.
The suspension of commercial flights over Ukraine, as shown in the visualization, is due to the ongoing war-and-conflicts in the region and the EU Aviation Safety Agency's designation of the airspace as an active conflict zone. The general-news about the closed Ukrainian airspace highlights the political implications of the continued war and its impact on sports events, as no official reopening date has been set yet.
