Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

UKRAINE

Italy prepares to close airspace to Russian planes

Italy said on Sunday it would close its airspace to Russia flights, joining other European countries in ramping up sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Published: 27 February 2022 13:32 CET
Italy prepares to close airspace to Russian planes
The Russian presidential plane Iljuschin Il-96. More EU countries are moving to ban Russian aircraft from its airspace. (Photo by ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE / POOL / AFP)

“Italy is closing its airspace to Russia,” a government spokesman said in a brief statement, shortly after other European countries such as Germany, Sweden and Denmark announced similar measures.

The measure starts from 3pm Italy time on Sunday, Palazzo Chigi confirmed.

Italy joins other European countries in stepping up sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Luxembourg, Belgium and Poland have closed their airspace to Russian flights, forcing westbound Russian planes to make enormous diversions.

EXPLAINED: How Italy could be impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Swedish EU Minister Hans Dahlgren said that beyond individual European countries shutting off their airspace to Russian aircraft, closing the whole of European airspace is on the table.

EU leaders will meet again later today to discuss the latest package of sanctions against Russia.

Member comments

  1. Sidebar: The aircraft in the photo is a Russian made Ilyushin Il-96, which is an older aircraft mostly used in Cuba now.

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

ENERGY

Protests in Tuscany as regasification unit arrives

Protests continued in the coastal town of Piombino on Monday, after a new floating storage and regasification unit considered crucial to Italy's energy security arrived overnight.

Published: 20 March 2023 14:25 CET
Protests in Tuscany as regasification unit arrives

The arrival of the Golar Tundra, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker which will serve as a floating storage and regasification unit, was greeted with scepticism by many local residents of the Tuscan coastal town of Piombino, in the province of Livorno.

Once installed, the regasifier will receive LNG from other carriers, which it will turn back into a gaseous state that can be fed into Italy’s national network.

Stefano Venier, chief executive of Italian gas group Snam, which owns the unit, said earlier this week it would be operational from May.

The project is key to Italy’s plan to reduce its reliance on Russian gas following the invasion of Ukraine, which has also seen it sign new deals with partners such as Algeria and Libya.

Former energy minister Roberto Cingolani said last year it was “essential for national security”.

Protesters at the port of Piombino, Tuscany, after LNG tanker Golar Tundra arrived overnight from Singapore. The banner reads “The disaster ship is in the port of Piombino”. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

The location was chosen so gas can be easily transported to Italy’s heavily industrialised north, although the government says it is temporary, and that after three years it will move.

But there have been months of local protests against the project, and a small march was staged Sunday ahead of the vessel’s late-night arrival from Singapore.

Opponents say it will pose health and safety risks for those travelling between the port city of Piombino and the island of Elba, a popular holiday destination.

Environmental groups have also warned the project will slow down Italy’s transition to renewable energy.

The Golar Tundra can store 170,000 cubic metres of LNG and has an annual regasification capacity of five billion cubic metres, according to Snam.

“Five billion cubic metres of gas allows us to reach levels of self-sufficiency that allows families to think about lower bills,” said Tuscany President Eugenio Giani at the port.

Snam said last summer the unit could contribute around 6.5 percent of Italy’s needs, bringing national regasification capacity to over 25 percent of demand.

Russia provided around 40 percent of Italy’s gas in 2021 but this fell to 16 percent last year, officials say.

SHOW COMMENTS