Clément Beaune, French Transport Minister, has said that Ukraine is "working hard" to open its airspace for civil aircraft.

The French minister said in an interview with European Pravda when speaking about cooperation with Ukraine in training Ukrainian civil aviation pilots and air traffic controllers.

Beaune states that Ukrainians have been practising using training simulators in France, and during the talks in Kyiv, the two countries agreed to expand this cooperation.

"This is actually a crucial thing. I hope the moment when civil aviation flights resume over Ukraine will come as soon as possible. And if the pilots have no practice, they will not be allowed to resume work immediately due to safety rules.

That is why we are helping Ukraine to prepare for the moment when your airspace will be fully or partially opened," said the French government member.

Beaune stressed that it is not up to him to decide when this would happen. However, he said that Ukrainian officials are now preparing to open the airspace to civil aviation.

"As I understand it, Ukraine already has certain considerations for this event, and Kyiv is working hard on it. However, of course, the main issue is still security," the minister said.

Ukraine completely closed its airspace to civilian aircraft on 24 February 2022, the day Russia's full-scale invasion began.

The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) has suggested that flights over Ukraine will be restricted until 2029 (Ukr).