PHL flights to Europe will continue despite Ukraine conflict

Philadelphia’s dominant carrier, American Airlines, said it does not anticipate changes to its upcoming European flight schedule as the conflict in Ukraine unfolds.

”At this time, we don’t expect it to have an impact on our transatlantic schedule from Philadelphia for the summer,” American Airlines spokesperson Andrew Trull said.

American handles the most passenger traffic at Philadelphia International Airport and is set to operate up to 12 daily flights to 11 European cities beginning in late March.

The carrier does not operate any flights to Ukraine, Trull said.

No other airline at PHL flies direct to Kyiv, or anywhere else in Ukraine or Russia, airport spokesperson Heather Redfern said in an email.

American Airlines and British Airways are the only two carriers currently flying direct routes from PHL to destinations in Europe.

American has service to Zurich, Dublin, and London, and British Airways also offers direct flights to London.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced new restrictions Thursday for U.S. airlines, expanding an area in Eastern Europe and Russia where U.S. carriers and pilots are not allowed to operate.

The restrictions “now cover the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus, and a western portion of Russia,” the agency said. The FAA had already prohibited U.S. airlines from flying over an eastern region of Ukraine since 2014.

Ukraine’s air space is closed to civilian flights, the country’s air traffic services agency said.