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Swiss aviation officials could ban Russian aircraft

Geneva airport could soon be out of bounds for the Russian Ilyushin 86 charter plane Keystone Archive

Swiss aviation authorities have warned that a Russian aircraft, the Ilyushin 86, could be banned from Geneva airport unless its safety standards are improved within the next week.

A spokesman for the federal civil aviation department, Lenz Jecklin, said the Ilyushin 86 did not meet international safety regulations.

Jecklin told the Swiss news agency that investigators had found that, on one plane, the electronic equipment for identifying the risks of a mid-air collision was not working.

Switzerland has told the two operating airlines, Aeroflot and Atlant-Soyuz they have one week to ensure the plane meets accepted norms.

The Ilyushin 86 is used mainly by the two Russian airline companies for charter flights for Russian tourists.

The plane started flying between Moscow and Geneva’s Cointrin airport on January 6.

swissinfo with agencies

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