Moscow hits back by barring EU and Canadian airlines

A general view of the business class cabin of a Finnair A350 aircraft is pictured in Helsinki, Finland December 3, 2021. Finnair/Handout via REUTERS

HELSINKI (Reuters) -Airlines on Monday braced for a potentially lengthy dispute after the European Union (EU) banned Russian airlines from its airspace and Moscow responded in kind, barring carriers from 36 countries including all 27 members of the European Union.

Dozens of flights were cancelled or sent on costly detours as the crisis hit airline shares.