Ryanair and other commercial airlines have suspended flights to Ukraine following an invasion by Russian forces on Thursday.
The Irish airline said it has suspended flights for at least the next fortnight.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has urged Irish citizens not to travel to Ukraine, with those who remain in the country previously advised to depart immediately.
“Due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace overnight and the apparent invasion by Russian forces, all Ryanair flights to/from Ukraine have been suspended for at least the next 14 days,” said a statement from the airline.
“All affected passengers will receive email notices later this morning and all flights to/from Ukraine have been removed from sale for at least the next four weeks until further information becomes available from EU safety agencies.
“Ryanair remains committed to our services to/from Ukraine and we look forward to restoring flight services there as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We sincerely regret and apologise for these unprecedented disruptions and any inconvenience that they will inevitably cause to our Ukrainian customers.”
Ukraine’s State Air Traffic Services Enterprise closed the country’s airspace at 12.45am Irish time on Thursday “due to the high risk of aviation safety for civil aviation”.
It added: “The provision of air traffic services to civilian users of the airspace of Ukraine is suspended.”
It comes as Irish citizens remaining in the country have been urged to seek shelter.
