According to the German newspaper Bild, Russian nationals have established Southwind Airlines in Turkey, which Polish authorities believe that the company intends to transport migrants to the EU borders.
Based on Southwind's website, the company is also planning flights from Turkey to Helsinki from April to the beginning of autumn.
Obtaining an overflight permit for Finland would be highly unlikely if media reports about the company's background are accurate, Jarkko Saarimäki, the Director General of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), told Finnish News Agency STT.
Traficom has the authority to deny a traffic permit if requirements, such as aviation safety or passenger entry conditions into the country, are not met.
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On the company's website, it describes itself as a Turkish airline. According to Bild, only the company's headquarters are located in Turkey, while, in reality, Southwind is reportedly managed by Russian entities.
The company's fleet and staff are said to largely come from the Russian Nordwind Airlines, whose planes are prohibited from using Western airspace. With the establishment of the new airline in Turkey, Russian planes can fly to Minsk within the EU airspace, bypassing the need to circumvent through Russia.
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