US advises flights to stay away from Russian and Ukrainian borders

According to Reuters, in a notice sent to airlines late last week, the FAA noted that "escalating regional tensions between Ukraine and Russia could lead to unannounced cross-border clashes, increased military activity or conflict."

Since 2014, the FAA has prohibited US civil aviation operations in areas around the borders of Ukraine and Russia. The notice also said that airlines must notify the FAA at least 72 hours before planned flights in the area.

The FAA and other aviation regulators are concerned about the possibility that a civilian aircraft could be shot down during a conflict due to mistaken identity.

In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine while en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All 298 people on board were killed, two-thirds of whom were Dutch.

Also related to travel advisories, citing "unprecedented risks" due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the US State Department is calling on its citizens to reconsider traveling abroad and updating its travel advisory to the highest level - level 4, covering approximately 80% of countries worldwide.

Before the updated advisory, only 34 countries were placed on level 4 travel warning, including war zones such as Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen...

The US State Department said the change does not imply a judgment on the current health situation of any country but rather an adjustment in the travel advisory system, based more on the CDC's existing epidemiological assessments.