Turkey stops refueling Russian planes

The Turkish government is severely restricting the refueling of aircraft operated by Russian airlines. The US, a NATO partner, had previously put strong pressure on the Turkish government. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Turkey has become an important transit and travel country for Russians. Around a quarter of international flights from Russia in 2022 went to destinations in Turkey. Right now this will finally end up here.

A few days ago, the American government was therefore demanding that Turkey tighten sanctions against Russia. The Turkish government has now complied with the NATO partner’s request, according to the Turkish aviation platform Airporthaber.com.

However, there is no complete fuel ban for Russian aircraft, and the machines are still allowed to fly in Turkey. The restriction applies to private, cargo, charter, or foreign-made aircraft that contain more than 25 percent US-made parts. In the future, they will no longer be refueled if they fly to Russia and Belarus, according to the aviation platform.

Many machines manufactured by Boeing or Airbus are therefore affected. As a solution, Russian planes are now refueling more fuel before the outward journey to Turkey in order to get out of the country again. To do this, they make a refueling stop in Sochi.

Aircraft from Aeroflot, Utair, Rossiya, S7, Fly Pegas and Yamal are affected by the new regulation. With Belavia, a Belarusian airline is also affected.