Russia loses bid for UN aviation authority council seat

Russia failed to win back its seat on the United Nations aviation agency’s governing council Saturday after staunch opposition from the EU over the invasion of Ukraine.

A Russian official immediately called for “a repeat round of voting” after the country fell short of the support needed to gain a seat on the International Civil Aviation Organization’s 36-member council.

Countries booted Russia off the ICAO Council in 2022 over the illegal confiscation of leased airplanes during the war with Ukraine.

The ICAO Council also blamed Russia for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Russian-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people.

European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen had said ahead of Saturday’s vote that it was “unacceptable that a state which endangers the safety and security of air passengers and violates international rules should hold a seat on the organization’s governing body, tasked with upholding those very rules.”