The ban on flights over Russian territory negatively affects the competitiveness of Western airlines, says France 24. After the opening of borders with China, the tourism industry is demanding more flights to Asian destinations, but the increased route costs more, and passengers prefer airlines of other countries.
Western airlines, for which the airspace of Russia is closed, have to lose time, money and competitiveness – especially on Asian routes, says France 24.
According to the newspaper, Air France planes on the flight “Paris-Beijing” now have to fly south of the Caucasus, and then through the countries of Central Asia. According to the Flightradar24 flight tracking website, the new route is 9,800 kilometers, whereas previously the flight over the Moscow region, the Urals and Siberia took about 8,400 kilometers, i.e. two hours less. Benjamin Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Air France-KLM, points out that the flight is “much more expensive” because of the fuel and crew salaries. He points out that this has become a big problem for the airline.
At the end of February, Russia closed its airspace to companies from countries it considered hostile, but the decision had little effect on flights. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, traffic between Asia and the rest of the world has barely reached 10 percent of pre-pandemic levels for two years. But since China opened its borders, the situation has changed. In April, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the number of passengers tripled compared to last year.
The increased passenger traffic has become a focal point in negotiations between Paris and Beijing. The French tourist industry is demanding more flights, but Air France may be at a disadvantage.
“We want to make sure that companies that are allowed to fly to France or the Netherlands respect the same restrictions that we do,” Benjamin Smith explained. On those destinations, he said, his airline could be “forced out of the market.”
Similar problems in the U.S.: the lobbying association for Airlines for America warned in March of a possible “competitive disadvantage.” “It’s a huge problem,” confirms United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. Unable to cross skies over Russia, his company cannot operate four of its five routes to India.
The International Air Transport Association, which held a general meeting in Istanbul the other day, refuses to take sides.
“We would like Russian airspace to be open to everyone,” France 24 quoted the organization’s director general, Willy Walsh, as saying. – We would prefer that everyone compete on an equal footing, but this is a political decision that can only be made when peace is restored.”
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