MOSCOW— Russian airlines have been instructed to prevent pilots and other flight crew members from taking photographs or recording videos from aircraft during flights, according to a report by aviation-focused Telegram channel Aviatorshchina.
The reported directive requires airlines to notify employees about the restriction and brief crews that filming the airspace outside an aircraft is prohibited.
The measure was reportedly decided in July during a meeting chaired by Vladimir Poteshkin, Russia’s Deputy Transport Minister responsible for aviation.
The meeting focused on flight safety within the Moscow terminal control area, which manages air traffic around the capital’s major airports.
Russia Tightens Pilot Filming Rules
According to Aviatorshchina, the Transport Ministry has directed airlines to communicate the new restriction directly to their personnel.
The instruction reportedly covers photographs and videos taken by flight crews that show the airspace outside the aircraft.
The reported ban comes as Russian authorities have introduced additional controls around Moscow’s airspace. The measures appear to form part of a broader effort to limit aviation risks in an area that has faced repeated security disruptions.
Russia’s existing aviation rules also restrict photography and video recording in controlled airport areas without authorization.
The Transport Ministry has previously stated that filming aircraft, technical equipment, documentation and airport facilities inside controlled areas requires permission from airport security services.
Moscow Airspace Restrictions
The reported crew-filming restriction follows tighter operating rules introduced around Moscow in July.
Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s civil aviation agency, reduced the maximum permitted flight altitude in the Moscow airport area to 4,900 meters from the previous range of about 8,250 to 8,550 meters.
Authorities also temporarily prohibited transit flights through the Moscow terminal area. The restrictions affected aircraft using routes that previously crossed the capital’s airspace without landing, with some services requiring route changes and longer flight times.
Russian authorities cited aviation safety concerns for the measures amid continuing Ukrainian attacks involving drones and other threats to infrastructure.
Lower flight levels can also allow aircraft to reach airports more quickly if an emergency or security threat requires a rapid descent.
S7 Introduced Similar Ban
The reported Transport Ministry instruction is not the first time a Russian airline has restricted crew photography during flight operations.
In February, Karen Novitsky, a pilot with Novosibirsk-based S7 Airlines (S7), said the carrier had prohibited crew members from taking photographs or videos while an aircraft was taxiing, taking off or landing.
The latest reported directive appears broader because it concerns filming the airspace outside an aircraft rather than only specific phases of flight. The timing also places the measure within a wider tightening of aviation procedures around Moscow.
For Russian flight crews, the restrictions mean that cockpit and cabin photography involving the outside environment may now face additional scrutiny.
Airlines are expected to communicate the requirements to employees and ensure crews understand the limits on recording during operations.
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