US airlines have been banned from flying through Russian airspace for a year. On the lucrative routes to Asia, this means higher costs and longer travel times. US government should intervene.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Western countries reacted quickly, imposing a series of sanctions designed to ruin Russia’s economy.
One of those measures provided that Russian planes were no longer allowed to fly through the airspace of the European Union and other countries. As a mirrored measure, Russia then closed its airspace for itself Machines from 36 countries.
This is increasingly causing problems for Western airlines. The New York Times (NYT) reported on Friday that US airlines are stepping up lobbying in the White House and Congress to address the growing problems.
On routes between the United States and Asia, for example, they are hardly competitive and are losing orders. Because they are cut off from the polar routes, which would save them time and fuel.
Due to the closed Russian airspace, they would have had to change their flight plans for the transpacific region. To ensure they have somewhere to land in an emergency, they would have reduced passenger numbers and cargo volumes. In order to save costs, new routes to Mumbai, Tokyo, Seoul and other cities have been put on hold.
An example shows how the Russian overflight ban affects US airlines. It is reported that on the New Delhi to New York City route, American Airlines has already been forced to interrupt the flight 19 times in Bangor, Maine. And only an hour and a half before the finish.
These stopovers were usually caused by unfavorable winds or weather conditions, a person familiar with what is happening said NOW. As a result, fuel supplies were said to have been exhausted and the flight crews’ duty hours had been exceeded. In addition, numerous seats were deliberately left unoccupied to reduce weight and save fuel.
Such conditions reduce the profitability of flights – but they do not affect all airlines equally. This is because the airlines of other countries still have access to the more cost-efficient routes via Russian airspace and thus have a competitive advantage.
Accordingly, the lobbyists of “Airlines for America” complained loudly in February NOW-Report about the competition from Air India, Emirates and China Eastern Airlines. The US airlines would lose around two billion euros a year to their competitors.
“Foreign airlines using Russian airspace for flights to and from the United States gain a significant competitive advantage over American carriers in key markets including China and India,” the February presentation said.
This situation directly benefits foreign airlines at the expense of the United States as a whole, lobbyists argue. The connections to important markets are becoming fewer and there are therefore fewer high-paying jobs in aviation.
The US airlines are now promoting the US government to step in and accommodate their needs. But not in the sense that she is promoting Russian airspace to be released again, but that other airlines are no longer allowed to use it.
“The Biden administration should take steps to ensure foreign airlines overflying Russia do not depart from, land in, or transit through US airports,” said Marli Collier, spokeswoman for Airlines for America.
The US Department of Transportation is sympathetic to the suggestion and has already drawn up the first regulations. But the security authorities, on the other hand, are aware of the possible diplomatic consequences, she writes NOW. A long-time ally like India could be put off, and already strained relations with China could be further strained.
(Bernd Mueller)
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