Russia's bid to rejoin ICAO Council blocked over Ukraine invasion
A plane of the Russian airline S7 (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Russia failed to regain membership in the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The reason was the firm opposition of the European Union due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Politico.
On Saturday, September 27, Russia did not receive enough votes to join the ICAO Council, which has 36 member states.
“It is unacceptable that a state which endangers the safety and security of air passengers and violates international rules should hold a seat on the organization’s governing body, tasked with upholding those very rules,” said European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen ahead of Saturday’s vote.
After the failure, a Russian official immediately called for a second round of voting.
In addition, the ICAO Council held Russia responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014.
The airliner was destroyed by a Buk-M1 surface-to-air missile system, and 298 people were killed in the crash.
The ICAO Council includes China, Brazil, the United States, and Australia as key states in aviation transport.
In 2022, Russia was stripped of its Council membership due to the illegal seizure of leased aircraft during the war in Ukraine.
Recently, Moscow approached ICAO, requesting the easing of sanctions imposed after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia is seeking the lifting of restrictions on the supply of spare parts for civilian aircraft, which it claims affects flight safety.
Russia has also challenged the ICAO Council’s decision regarding its involvement in the downing of the Boeing 777 MH17 over Donbas at the International Court of Justice.
