Russian airlines are failing to make regular payments for the air navigation services provided by Latvijas gaisa satiksme (LGS) — Latvia’s state-owned air navigation service provider — when crossing the airspace controlled by Latvia, LGS Chairman Dāvids Tauriņš told the LETA news agency in an interview.
Tauriņš explained that LGS must continue to provide these services for aviation safety reasons, as Russian aircraft are also guided by the air navigation services of Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania.
He noted that some payments are still being received from Russian airlines, but irregularly: “Payments are often delayed, and there are also airlines that have stopped paying altogether,” Tauriņš said.
He clarified that LGS does not receive these payments directly — instead, they are collected by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), which then distributes the funds to service providers with about a two-month delay.
“At present, a debt has accumulated, and we are actively working with Eurocontrol to recover it.
There are some results,” Tauriņš emphasized.
Asked about the size of the debt, he said it is not large and fluctuates, but “there is always some level of outstanding payment.”
Tauriņš also explained that Latvia’s controlled airspace does not fully coincide with its geographical borders. Therefore, Russian airline flights do not take place over Latvian territory, but rather over international waters — considered domestic Russian flights, such as routes from Saint Petersburg or Moscow to Kaliningrad, via the Baltic Sea.
LGS provides air navigation services within the Riga Flight Information Region (FIR),
which includes not only Latvian airspace but also areas over international waters.
In February 2022, the European Union (EU) imposed a ban on all types of Russian carriers, prohibiting them from accessing EU airports or flying over EU airspace. This means that Russian-registered aircraft, or aircraft leased to Russian entities or individuals, cannot land in EU airports or fly over EU countries, Tauriņš noted.
However, since EU jurisdiction does not apply over international waters, Russian aircraft continue to use those segments of airspace. Consequently, LGS must provide air navigation services to all aircraft operating in that segment, ensuring flight safety, Tauriņš emphasized earlier.
LGS is a 100% state-owned company, and its duty is to provide air navigation services to all users of Latvia’s controlled airspace.
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