Aeroflot, Rossiya and S7 Airlines plus 18 other Russian airlines have been blacklisted by the European Union.

The European Commission has added 21 Russian airlines to the EU Aviation Safety Checklist, banning them from operating in the European Union. The commission said the move reflected "serious safety concerns" after Russian authorities re-leased foreign aircraft leased without certificates of airworthiness. 

The decision was taken unanimously by aviation security experts in the EU Member States, which took place on 5 April 2022.

The list includes the three main Russian airlines, namely the national carrier Aeroflot, but also Rossiya and S7 Airlines, among others. The fleets of the three largest airlines in Russia consist of Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Most of them are rented. Russian companies have few domestic aircraft, most of them Sukhoi Superjet and a few Soviet-era Tupolev airliners.  

Under EU sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, EU aircraft lessors were forced to conclude contracts with Russian operators. According to aviation consulting firm IBA, Russian companies operate at least 589 sanctioned aircraft, a fleet valued at $ 10 billion. 

Many of these aircraft were registered in Bermuda, which suspended airworthiness certificates for Russian-operated aircraft. Russia later enacted a law to nationalize the entire fleet of foreign aircraft, which was leased by Russian airlines.