Canada is closing its airspace to Russian aircraft and has made it effective immediately.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra made the announcement on Twitter Sunday, saying Canada's airspace will be closed to all Russian aircraft operators.
"All of Canada is united in its outrage of President Putin's aggression against Ukraine, read Alghabra's statement. "In response, we have close Canadian airspace to Russian-owned or operated aircraft. The Government of Canada condemns Russia's aggressive action and we will continue to take action to stand with Ukraine."
Reports suggest the decision aligns with many European nations that announced similar decisions over the past several days.
Russian aircraft are currently banned from the airspace above Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, the Baltic states and others.
"Canada will continue to do everything it can against the Russian regime's aggression," said Alghabra. "We are united with our allies in our unwavering support to Ukraine and are working to bring this unprovoked war to an end."
Meanwhile, Transport Canada is investigating after a Russian aircraft violated the ban.
(1/2) We are aware that Aeroflot flight 111 violated the prohibition put in place earlier today on Russian flights using Canadian airspace.
— Transport Canada (@Transport_gc) February 28, 2022
(2/2) We are launching a review of the conduct of Aeroflot and the independent air navigation service provider, NAVCAN, leading up to this violation. We will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action and other measures to prevent future violations.
— Transport Canada (@Transport_gc) February 28, 2022
