EU Bans Turkey’s Southwind Airlines Citing Ties with Russia 

Photo source: Southwind Airlines

The European Commission decided this week to impose a ban on Turkish leisure airline Southwind from entering EU airspace citing the carrier’s connection with Russia, media report.

According to an enquiry carried out by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), Russian shareholders appear to hold a controlling interest in the carrier. The investigation followed an application submitted by Southwind to the Finnish Civil Aviation Authority to carry out flights between Helsinki and Turkey.

Southwind to take legal action

Southwind, which was set up in April 2022 right after the EU banned Russian airlines from its airspace due to the war with Ukraine, said the decision was “political”. It denied all accusations of links with Russia and said it would be taking the matter to European courts.

“We are preparing to file a claim with the relevant authorities in Europe in response to those who created this situation for our company and our passengers and right this wrong. Due to the long period of consideration for such claims, we are also making efforts to ensure that the relevant authorities in Turkey lift the ban in advance,” the Turkish carrier said in an announcement.

The carrier currently operates a fleet of 12 aircraft and mainly transports Russian tourists to resort towns in Turkey.