Lufthansa Cargo has had a ban that prevented its aircraft from using Russian airspace temporarily lifted. The ban, which came into force on 28 October, has caused major delays and rescheduling of Lufthansa Cargo flights to and from Asia.
It has been reported that Lufthansa Cargo has alleged that the ban was enforced as part of a Russian strategy to push Lufthansa into relocating its major freighter hub in the region from Astana, Kazakhstan, to Krasnoyarsk in Siberia.
According to Reuters a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had twice spoken to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about the dispute and a transport ministry spokeswoman said officials in Berlin and Moscow were in intensive talks.
"The German government appeals to the Russian authorities to allow German cargo flights over its air space again as soon as possible," said government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm.
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