Following warnings by the United States of a possible imminent start to war in Ukraine, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has had aircraft moved out of the country.
The insurance for its flights in Ukrainian airspace has been suspended, the company said in Kiev on Monday.
Five planes had been flown out to Spain. Two more planes would be taken to Belgrade in Serbia for "scheduled technical maintenance." In total, the company has 25 aircraft.
The day before, the government in Kiev had provided the equivalent of 590 million US dollars in aviation guarantees.
Previously, the Dutch airline KLM had completely suspended flights to Ukraine. The Ukrainian company SkyUp had to divert a return flight from Madeira to Chisinau in neighbouring Moldova because of the insurance issue. The passengers were later brought to Kiev by bus.
The air carrier Norwegian will also avoid Ukrainian airspace until further notice due to escalating tensions in the region, the company said on Sunday.
Lufthansa maintains flights to Kiev
Germany's Lufthansa, on the other hand, is continuing to fly to Ukraine for the time being. When asked, a spokesman explained that they had appropriate insurance cover. He said: "If there was no insurance, we wouldn't fly either."
For weeks, the US in particular has been warning of an allegedly imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, citing an increased Russian troop presence not far from the border.
The Kremlin regularly rejects the accusations; Kiev also does not see any concrete preparations for an attack.
