Airlines still flying to Ukraine despite fears of 'escalation'

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Ryanair, Turkish Airlines, Air Baltic, and numerous other international airlines are continuing their scheduled flights to Ukraine despite the Western fearmongering about an "escalation" between Moscow and Kyiv.

Data collected from the flight tracker on the website of Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv showed that air traffic was nearly normal to and over Ukraine.

Ukraine had pledged Sunday to keep its airspace open to international travel despite the western fearmongering about Russia "conducting drills" near their shared borders and an "imminent invasion".

Its announcement came a day after KLM Royal Dutch Airlines became Saturday the first major airline to suspend flights to Ukraine, diverting the course of any flight passing through its airspace.

Ryanair, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, and other carriers, though have scheduled flights this week.

Only one Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Kyiv had been suspended on Monday "due to the change of an aircraft for the larger one," according to the airport. 

Earlier Monday, Norwegian Air Lines said it had decided to avoid flight in Ukraine's airspace over security concerns, while other carries, such as the German Lufthansa and the Polish LOT, said they had the situation under the microscope to assess any threats, stressing that they may suspend flights in the future.

Turkish Airlines offered customers flights on different dates or a refund for any tickets purchased before February 14.

Ukraine's SkyUP revealed that European leasing companies were demanding that Ukrainian airlines return their planes to EU airspace within the upcoming 48 hours.

"The airspace over Ukraine remains open, and the state is working on preempting risks for airlines," the ministry said after the meeting.

Growing concerns over air travel are accompanied by the increasing number of Western governments evacuating their diplomatic missions from Ukraine as they urge their citizens to leave the country at the soonest time possible.

The United States of America plans to withdraw all its remaining diplomats in Kyiv within a day or two at the latest, US media reported Monday.

The US State Department said last Saturday that the United States will move some of its diplomatic staff from the Ukrainian capital to the city of Lviv, amid security concerns.