Russia Permits 17-Year-Old Belgian Pilot's Flight Over Its Airspace to Set World Record

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsiya) announced on Thursday that it has authorized the flight over Russian airspace for a 17-year-old Belgian pilot, Mack Rutherford, who intends to set a world record as the world's youngest pilot by performing a flight from Seoul to the American city of Nome, Alaska. "By the decision of the Rosaviatsiya chief Alexander Neradko, a one-time permit was issued for the Shark aircraft to fly through the Russian Federation on the route Seoul (Korea) - Nome (US). The light aircraft is performing a non-commercial flight, setting a new world record. The aircraft is piloted by the youngest pilot in aviation history, 17-year-old Belgian citizen, Mack Rutherford," the statement read. The flight will be launched on July 25 and run for four days through the Russian cities of Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Magadan and Anadyr. To ensure the safety of the flight, Rosaviatsiya instructed the Far Eastern and Magadan regional offices to take this issue under special control. Destination and reserve airports on the route have been assigned to render ground service and ensure the necessary amount of fuel for Rutherford’s plane, the statement noted. The branches of the Russian State Air Traffic Management Corporation have also been tasked to render quality air navigation service and meteorological support for the flight. Furthermore, the aircraft will be under control of regional aviation search and rescue services, with Rosaviatsiya to constantly monitor the flight over Russian territory. In response to Russia launching its military operation in Ukraine, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow, with the European Union, United States, Canada and other states shutting down their airspace to all Russian flights. Russia retaliated to the sanctions with mirror measures and closed its airspace to aircraft from unfriendly nations. Read more: https://sputniknews.com/20220721/russia-permits-17-year-old-belgian-pilots-flight-over-its-airspace-to-set-world-record-1097663211.html