While U.S., European and Japanese carriers have stopped flying over Russia, Air India and some Gulf-based and Chinese airlines continue to do so, making flying times shorter and giving them a cost edge over competitors.
People Also Ask
Most airlines operating between Europe and Asia have changed their routes to fly further south to avoid Russian airspace.
Russia has barred U.S. airlines and other foreign carriers from flying over its airspace, in retaliation for Washington banning Russian flights over the U.S. in March 2022 after the country invaded Ukraine.
The Siberian Corridor has the most expensive airspace in the world. While airlines save a lot of money by flying more directly, Russia takes a big chunk of that money for itself with absolute control on overflight rights with overflight fees being $100 per passenger!
There are several reasons why, but the big two are to do with the curvature of the earth and the jet streams. Guessing that it was a safety precaution wouldn't be entirely wrong either, as when planning a route many pilots prefer to maximize the number of airports along their flight path.
While Kirby made a comment out of the goodness of his heart and having fear for the American citizen, he had no such words for his new best friends at Emirates, who have also been using Russian airspace and operating all their west coast flights via Russian Airspace.
But for now, Russian airlines have been kept alive with the help of international shipments and the use of hundreds of foreign jets that were stranded there after the war began. Tens of thousands of flights are expected to crisscross Russia this month, according to schedules published by Cirium.
Direct flights are currently operating from Moscow and other major Russian cities to Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Thailand, India, and other destinations. European and North American airspace remains closed.