The closure of European and Russian airspace .. How does it affect global air traffic?

The European Union and Russia have exchanged airspace closures after Russian military operations against Ukraine, and although closing European airspace to Russian aircraft will have little effect on Russia, flights from European countries to Asia will be longer than usual.

And the French newspaper "Nouvel Obs" published a report in which it said that countries have sovereignty in banning flights over their country, as the 27 countries of the European Union announced last Sunday evening the closure of their airspace to Russian companies and aircraft in response to Moscow's military operations in Ukraine, according to When the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that no Russian plane can land, take off or fly over the territory of the European Union, but some flights for humanitarian purposes have been exempted.

The newspaper pointed out in its report that Canada and other European countries such as the United Kingdom, Moldova, Norway and Iceland have taken similar decisions, as did Switzerland last Monday, "except for flights carried out for humanitarian, medical or diplomatic purposes."

She noted that Russia responded in kind and banned its airspace from companies from about 35 European countries and Canada, "except for special statements."

And she indicated that the European ban is not limited to flights, but extends to the export of aviation services and equipment to Russia, which makes it difficult to maintain Airbus aircraft on Russian soil, regardless of its nationality.

Consequences for Russia

The newspaper quoted Paul Chambarito, an air transport specialist at the Business School in Montpellier, as saying that he believed that closing European airspace to Russian planes would not change much for Moscow, stressing that the link with foreign countries is very marginal in light of the importance of the Russian market.

She pointed out that before the epidemic, the domestic market accounted for 70% of the flights departing from Russia, and this number has since increased to more than 80%, while Turkey (the first destination for Russians abroad) before the epidemic represented only 2.9% of flights departing from Russia. .

The newspaper stressed that closing European airspace would deprive Russia - especially its national airline, Aeroflot - of its first foreign market, but - according to Chambaretto - the size of the state makes it not much affected by the blockade, even if this contributes to isolating Russia at the international level, noting that despite this, Russia is still open to the world through its southern flank, especially through Turkey.

She indicated that the closure of the airspace over Russia will lead to the lengthening of flights to Kaliningrad (the Russian enclave between Lithuania and Poland). According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, "Russian airlines will use airlines that pass through the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea."

Repercussions for European countries

According to the newspaper, for Europe, the current situation represents a return to the situation that prevailed in the Cold War years, as the head of the French Association of Aviation Professionals, Geoffroy Buffett, says, “Before 1991 we were not allowed to fly over Siberia,” adding - with the exception of the stop in Moscow - “We passed Through Anchorage, Alaska, to reach Japan, and through the southern Himalayas to reach Beijing."

Accordingly, the pilots - according to him - will take the "polar road" or "southern road" to reach Korea, Japan or China, and thus it takes at least an additional hour and a half to travel.

Buffett added that the Boeing 777 - which is often used in such destinations - consumes about 8 tons of fuel per flight hour, which means a lot of additional costs borne by companies, which usually allocate nearly a quarter of their expenses. to buy fuel.

After a 24-hour suspension, Air France announced on Monday that it would resume flights to Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo as part of a "modified flight plan," the newspaper reported.

According to an informed source, to reach Seoul, the plane will fly over Turkey and Kazakhstan in particular.

Paul Chamberito indicated - as the newspaper reported - that Gulf companies - whose airports act as hubs between Europe and Asia - can achieve good performance and acquire part of customers, just like Turkish Airlines from Istanbul.

At the conclusion of the report, the newspaper stated that Japan and China are still among the countries that impose strict travel restrictions due to Covid-19, as the number of flights between Europe and Asia and the Pacific decreased by 44% in 2021 compared to 2019, and these flights accounted for 2.7% Only of the flights departing from a European airport, according to the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation "Eurocontrol" (Eurocontrol).