Because of the urgent travel notice issued by the Netherlands on Saturday, Dutch carrier KLM has declared that it will no longer fly to Ukraine.
Dutch individuals should not travel to Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and those who are already there, including residents, should leave the country.
Because of mounting fears that Russia may invade Ukraine, the new travel advisory was issued.
Since 2014, the airline has avoided flying over Ukraine’s eastern territories and Crimea. When Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by a Russian missile while flying over eastern Ukraine, KLM was a codeshare partner with Malaysia Airlines.
The next flight to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, was supposed to leave at 1 a.m. Sunday, but it was canceled. According to KLM, the decision was driven not only by the revised travel advice but also by an “extensive safety investigation.”
The airline relied on information exchanged among a group of experts for its analysis.
The expert group includes representatives from all Dutch airlines, the Dutch intelligence services, the Ministries of Defense, Interior and Kingdom Relations, Foreign Affairs, Infrastructure and Water Management, and the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV).
