17 April 2018 by representatives of American airlines met with officials from the U.S. Department of State. Discussed the need for the extension of the access agreement in the airspace of the Russian Federation, which expires on Tuesday, at 8 PM in Washington.
«We don’t want a failure of the airlines and therefore try to help in the process of signing a new contract,» commented Heather Nauert, press Secretary, U.S. Department of State.
According to Nauert, the Russian side canceled the meeting, which was planned to discuss this issue scheduled for Monday. The US government noted that this is not the first timewhen Russia postpones negotiations regarding the extension of the agreement on mutual access to airspace.
According to unconfirmed reports, the leadership of the Russian Federation specially dragging out negotiations because it wants to use them as leverage on the United States of America. At the same time, despite the expiration of the previous agreement, the representatives of both parties have already stated that at the time of negotiations, the flight will be operated in the normal mode. No restrictions are planned for in the near future.
The Russian leadership denies political overtones and speaks of the need for a detailed study of the new agreement. The time frame within which it can be contracted also not been named. Representatives of the US state Department said they are doing everything possible to accelerate progress in this matter.
Meanwhile, American airlines reported its readiness to redirect most of the flights, but note that this will cause a significant increase in costs.
