The Ukrainian authorities have proposed to the NATO air forces to use the airspace of Crimea for their operations. This idea was put forward by the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladislav Krykliy at a meeting with the Alliance Deputy Secretary-General for Defense Policy and Planning Patrick Turner
“Ukraine hopes for NATO support in monitoring the air situation along the border with Russia and proposes to use the airspace in the Simferopol Flight Information Region (FIR) for NATO air operations, which includes airspace over the sovereign territory of Ukraine and over the open waters of the Black Sea,” the statement of the press service of the Ukrainian department .
“We propose to use this part of the airspace for NATO air operations to transport troops, equipment, cargo, and the like,” Krikliy said.
“Ukraine adheres to the chosen course of integration into the Euro-Atlantic systems of collective security. One of the important areas of such integration is Ukraine’s participation in the NATO Air Traffic Data Exchange Program. In modern conditions, it is important to strengthen control of civil air traffic and respond to crisis situations in the Black Sea region and the ATO zone, ”the minister said.
Flight information region – airspace within which flight information services and emergency notification are provided. According to the classification of Ukraine, the air navigation zone of the FIR Simferopol includes the Kherson region, the Crimean peninsula, and the entire central part of the Black Sea.
