Around 10 airlines have now cancelled flights into Ukraine, as defence secretary Ben Wallace confirms that Russia has “effectively annexed” part of the country.

Air France, Lufthansa and KLM all cancelled or suspended flights into Kiev as the threat of a Russian invasion increased over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Wizz Air, Ryanair and Ukraine International Airlines - all of which operate flights between the UK and Ukraine - have not announced any change to their schedules.

On Monday, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister told press that around 10 airlines had cancelled flights into the country ,while insisting that air corridors into Ukraine were open and safe.

“The current cancellation of flights by a number of foreign airlines is dictated solely by the information aggravation of the situation, and not by real changes in flight safety,” Oleksandr Kubrakov told a news briefing.

Mr Kubrakov did not name the airlines that had suspended flights.

Air France described its cancellations as a “precautionary measure”, saying in a statement on Monday: “Air France will regularly reassess the situation and reminds that the safety and security of its flights, its customers and its crews, is an absolute imperative.”

Lufthansa Group - which comprises Austrian Airlines, Swiss Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, as well as Lufthansa - announced on Saturday that it would suspend all flights to and from Kiev and Odessa until at least the end of February. At present it is still operating flights to Lviv.

A spokesperson said: “The group continues to monitor the situation closely and is in close contact with national and international authorities.”

KLM had earlier announced on 12 February that it would be halting all flights to Ukraine and through its airspace, saying: “This decision follows the adjusted travel advice to code red and an extensive safety analysis. It is not yet clear when KLM will fly to Kiev again.”

Scandinavian airline SAS and Latvian carrier airBaltic have also suspended all flights into Ukraine.

A Wizz Air spokeswoman said: “Wizz Air continues to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine.

“Currently, we have not made any changes to our schedule and all of our flights to/from Ukraine continue to operate as normal.

“All passengers with booked flights to and from Ukraine are advised to regularly check their mailboxes for further information about booked flights.”

Ryanair’s website shows flight RK3677 to Kiev scheduled to depart from London Stansted at 07:30 on Wednesday.

Some Ryanair customers reported finding tickets for as little as £16 one way, while a customer flying on Saturday tweeted: “Today’s flight Ryanair London-Kiev was empty. Passengers were not asked to show tests or QR-codes.”

Meanwhile, Air India is operating three “rescue flights” out of Kiev.

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