The European Union and some third countries prohibit aircraft related to Russia from using the airspace. In return, the Putin regime bans every single country in which a flight ban has been imposed. The bottom line is that this is definitely problematic for the airlines.

Finnair drew attention to the complicated situation on Monday, as a significant proportion of flights to Asia and the United States are acutely on the brink. The necessary detours make the implementation economically complicated to unbearable, airline boss Topi Manner in the course of the presentation of the business figures.

But Finnair is by no means the only EU carrier to suffer from the ban on using Russian airspace. Only Manner deals more openly with the situation and also says that one will prepare for the next longer-term crisis. It can be assumed that the Finnish Oneworld member will have to make major changes to its long-haul flight schedule.

Russia loses around half a billion euros a year

The use of airspace is by no means free of charge. There are various fees to be paid. The EU Commission estimates that the Russian Federation loses around half a billion euros a year as a result of the ban on numerous airlines. However, EU members and other states are also losing fees that were previously paid by Russian providers.

The example of Belavia clearly shows what it is like to be unwanted in the EU. Airlines from Belarus have been banned from EU airspace for some time. The company sometimes has to fly absurd detours in order to be able to head for destinations in the east. This extends the flight time, for example between Minsk and Istanbul, to around six hours. The consequences of this: high fuel costs. In the direction of the European Union there are no more flights anyway.

A similar fate awaits Russian airlines and as more and more states ban them, the potential route network is shrinking day by day. It is possible to "switch" to domestic flights, but only to a limited extent, because where there is money to be made, you fly anyway. After Corona, things could get damn tight for Russian airlines and to prevent some providers from collapsing, the Putin government would have to dig deep into their pockets. But a sinfully expensive war is being waged against Ukraine.

Kaliningrad traffic is particularly expensive for Russia

Some of the Russian domestic traffic is also affected by the airspace closure of the European Union. For example, it is no longer possible to fly to Kaliningrad as the crow flies, because Lithuania and Poland do not allow Russian carriers to fly over them. Thus one is forced to fly around the states over the Baltic Sea. There is international airspace there, but in some places it is only about 35 kilometers wide. Precision is therefore required, because minimal deviation could cause massive trouble.

Non-stop connectivity between the European Union and other states that have banned Russian airlines and were promptly banned themselves has now collapsed to zero. This also applies to freight connections. However, the goals do not remain completely unattainable, because this is still possible if you switch to countries that have not imposed a ban. It is also not to be expected that all countries in the world will be banned, because in some places one suspects a big deal with people switching.

Many airlines can do without traffic between the EU and Russia, because the planes can be used on additional holiday flights in summer. The fact that you can no longer use the airspace of the largest country in the world is massively problematic for some carriers and involves high additional costs. The example of Finnair clearly shows that this can drive some providers into financial difficulties.

It is therefore not at all surprising that questions are already being directed towards Brussels and national governments as to whether there is any form of financial support for airlines affected by the sanctions, which airlines are largely in favor of sending a signal against Putin gives support. The coffers of many airlines are not particularly well filled due to the corona pandemic.