Impact of Russian Airspace Closure on mid-European airlines

Subscription Required

By Bjorn Fehrm

Introduction  

May 5, 2022, © Leeham News: Last week, we looked at what the closure of Russian airspace would mean for North European airlines that fly to Asia destinations like Japan, Korea, or Mainland China.

Our example was Finnair’s route from Helsinki to Tokyo and what it would mean for it cost-wise to fly over the North pole and then down to Tokyo instead of over Russia.

We now continue the analysis with what the air space closure means for a West European airline like Air France. We check the cost increase to fly from Paris to Seoul in South Korea when you can’t use Russian and Ukrainian air space.

Air France 777-300ER. Source: Wikipedia.

Summary
  • The costs for Air France from Russia's airspace closure are more manageable than for Finnair.
  • Longer-term, it will mean changes to the route structure for affected airlines.

To read the rest of the article Login or Subscribe today.