Air travel has resumed between Germany and Russia, after a brief suspension on Wednesday. Flights from Russia were blocked by Germany’s transport ministry after flights from Germany had to be cancelled due to not receiving Russian permission in time.

Flights between Russia and Germany briefly suspended

On Wednesday, the German Transport Ministry announced that it had blocked flights by Russian airlines from arriving in Germany after Lufthansa had to cancel several flights to Russia. According to the ministry, the flights to Russia had to be cancelled as the airline did not receive permission from Russian authorities in time.

"Due to the reciprocal practice, the federal aviation authority also did not issue any further permits for flights operated by Russian airlines as long as authorizations are pending on the Russian side," said the German Transport Ministry.

Back in March 2020, Russia suspended bilateral agreements on air travel, with flights now approved reciprocally, and on a monthly basis.

Flights between the countries quickly resumed

Flights between the two countries resumed later that day, with Lufthansa reporting that it had finally been given permission to run commercial flights to Russia in June. "That means Lufthansa flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg can be operated as planned," said a Lufthansa spokesperson.

The chief executive of Russian airline Aeroflot, Mikhail Poluboyarinov, which saw several of its flights cancelled on Wednesday, told reporters in Russia: “Everything is fine, we have received all the authorizations." Similarly, another Russian airline, S7 Airlines, which had at least one flight banned on Wednesday, also announced that it had been given permission to land at German airports.

Tensions between Russia and Europe remain high

Tensions between Russia and Europe are high after a recent incident involving the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko. On May 23, a Ryanair flight, travelling to Lithuania from Greece, was forced to land in Belarus due to a reported bomb threat. Once grounded, Belarusian authorities arrested journalist, Roman Protasevich, who has been accused by Belarusian authorities of orchestrating riots. No bomb was found on the plane.

The incident has drawn widespread condemnation from political leaders across the globe, with the US and several EU countries labelling it “an act of piracy”. EU member states have stopped flights from flying over Belarus and sanctions are being weighed up against the eastern European country.

Lukashenko has since met with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the proposed sanctions, with the Russian president offering his support to his Belarusian counterpart.