Uzbekistan Airways (HY, Tashkent International) has been forced to indefinitely suspend its Tashkent International to Kyiv Boryspil flights by the Ukrainian government with effect from April 1. Central Asia Aero News reports the ban stems from the Uzbek carrier's continued service to Simferopol in the occupied province of Crimea.
Following an initial occupation and a referendum in the peninsula, Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea as part of its territory in late March. The move has drawn strong international condemnation with the United States and the European Union imposing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Russia.
