Ryanair says it has suspended all flights to and from Ukraine for 'at least' the next 14 days.
It comes after Russia invaded Ukraine overnight, with airstrikes on major cities and troops arriving from the south and east.
Local airspace has been closed in response to the sudden military escalation in the region.
Airspace over and around Ukraine at 06:00 UTC time, today and 7 days ago. pic.twitter.com/0U6MYguZdO
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 24, 2022
While some airlines had already stopped flying to and from Ukraine in the past week, Ryanair had continued operating flights up until last night.
However, they said they've now suspended flights for at least the next 14 days.
In a statement, the airline said: "All affected passengers will receive email notices later this morning and all flights to/from Ukraine have been removed from sale for at least next 4 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."
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney over the weekend said Ryanair had been 'helpful' in efforts to assist Irish citizens in Ukraine recently, including families involved in surrogacy.
This morning, Minister Coveney said there are currently two couples who've travelled to Ukraine in relation to surrogacy.
He said Irish officials are now working with both families to "ensure they're safe and their babies are safe".
⚠️ Urgent consular advice regarding Ukraine.
All Irish citizens in Ukraine should shelter in a secure place. Do not move around the country in the coming hours. Please follow the advice of local authorities.
We will post regular updates on @dfatirl as the situation develops.— Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) February 24, 2022
While Irish citizens in Ukraine are being urged to stay where they are for now, Minister Coveney said diplomats are also working hard to help people leave Ukraine.
He said it's "not going to be possible to leave by air in the short-term", so people are likely going to have to leave via the land borders with other EU countries.
