AMSTERDAM SCHIPHOL, NETHERLANDS – KLM will no longer fly over Ukrainian airspace, NOS reports. The Dutch airline has suspended all flights to Ukraine immediately, due to the urgent travel alert issued by the Dutch government on Saturday. The government is deeply concerned about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming days. The first next flight – scheduled for tonight – will also be canceled. Normally KLM flies to Ukrainian capital Kyiv twice a day. KLM is one of the first airlines to suspend all flights to Ukraine.

The Dutch government calls on Dutch people in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible. Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine have increased in recent days, hence the travel advice being set to code red, which means that people are advised not to go to Ukraine because it’s too dangerous.

Customers should contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further advice, a KLM spokesperson said. He also calls on people who have friends and family in Ukraine to get in touch. “Tell friends and family to take this seriously.”

Earlier today, Belgium, Germany and the UK – among others – called on residents to leave the country immediately. The US is asking all non-essential embassy personnel to leave the country. Citizens had already been asked to leave.

Belgian Prime Minister De Croo says the warnings received are “deeply disturbing”. “The message we received indicates that a major attack from three fronts is now possible.”

Top US security adviser Jake Sullivan said last night that a Russian raid could take place within days.

KLM is not the only airline flying to Ukraine from the Netherlands. Hungarian low-cost airline WizzAir for example flies from Eindhoven Airport several times a week to the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv, while Ukrainian Airlines flies from Schiphol Airport to Kyiv several times a week.

☆☆☆

Photo: A KLM Boeing 737-800 at Kyiv Boryspil International Airport, Ukraine (photo by Albert Bergonzo, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons