Flights to Asia delayed by several hours due to Russian airspace closure

The closure of the Russian airspace due to the cross-sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine implies a detour for European airlines that in some cases can increase in 4 hours the routes to Asian destinations, according to a report by the Efe agency. European Commission estimates indicate that the flights that will need the most extra time will be those that take off or land at airports in northern European countries.

The EU sanctions, which have been in place since Feb. 28 and have been subsequently replicated by Russia, consist of a ban on any Russian aircraft taking off from or landing in the EU or flying over its territory.

They cover all aircraft registered as Russian and those that are not, but are «controlled or used» by Russian companies or individuals, although emergency flights or landings, certain humanitarian cases and «genuine» diplomatic flights are exempted.

«The extra time will mean an increase in fuel consumption and, therefore, in the operating costs of airlines, according to European sources quoted by Efe. The executive does not rule out that they could benefit from some kind of financial assistance.

European aircraft leasing companies, an important sector of activity in Ireland, could also recover aircraft they have in Russia.

So far, and despite the fact that air traffic has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels. There were some 300 flights a day from airlines to Russia to the EU and some 50 from European airlines to Russia, plus another 90 flying over its territory.

The sanctions, which also allow Eurocontrol to reject flight plans, affect the airspace of the 27 member states and countries that have aligned with the EU, such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Albania, North Macedonia and Switzerland, although other EU neighbors such as Serbia and Montenegro have not closed their airspace to Russia.

 

«Our measures do not allow an oligarch to rent a private plane via Serbia to fly from Moscow to Belgrade and from Belgrade to Brussels», ensure the EU sources consulted by the Efe agency, which specify that the measures affect Russian citizens, even if they have dual nationality».