US airlines receive overflight permission from Russia

The US State Department said the Russian government has approved US airlines’ request to fly over Russian air space, an initiative that responds to an “urgent” request made earlier in the month by Airlines for America, which said the routes are necessary for passenger airlines to fly to destinations in Asia and the Middle East, while cargo carriers need routes for destinations in Europe to Asia. “A4A appreciates the US government’s efforts to secure approvals of Russian overflights for the upcoming winter season on behalf of US airlines. Russian overflights are key to maintaining and expanding US airlines’ global network,” Airlines for America said.