The Air Iron Curtain of the 21st Century: the Ukraine of the Air | A Cortina de Ferro Aérea do Século XXI: as Ucrânias do Ar

Abstract

“Ukraine” means borderland and the concept of border encompasses the notion of lines that determine the land, sea and air spaces of sovereignty and responsibility of all Nation-States. As so, we can argue that aerial ukraines are defined by the so-called Flight Information Regions (FIR). The Nation-States or the groups of Nation-States should guarantee the safety and assistance ofaircraft operating in their respective FIR. However, they can also close them for national security reasons, especially in cases of war, or use them as political and geopolitical tools, to obtain advantages over other Nation-Sates, namely their opponents. By studying the main events regarding aviation’s history like the first international flight and the events occurred since the 2004 presidential elections in Ukraine and the political decisions regarding sanctions, this article addresses the effects of the Ukrainian war on the Eurasian aviation, discussing, among other themes, the geographical, geopolitical, social, and economic implications. After three decades of globalization, it was perhaps inconceivable to return to a world of closed skies. However, that reality is back and even if it isn’t transversal to the entire world, the political weight of the rise of an aerial iron curtain of the 21st century is undeniable.