Moscow Sees High Costs for Foreign Carriers After Airspace Bans

March 21, 2022

Moscow — Flying around Russian airspace costs European and US airlines more than €34 million ($37.7 million) a week, the Russian Transport Ministry estimated on Saturday.

"As a result, ticket and cargo prices are rising, which directly affects passengers and cargo shippers," it said.

The shortest routes from Europe to the Far East go via Russia.

There were 31,400 such overflights in January and February, the ministry said.

But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, almost all European countries, the United States and Canada closed their airspace to Russian aircraft.

Russia then closed its airspace in retaliation, leaving foreign airlines to contend with long and expensive detours. But Moscow also loses revenue from overflight rights.

There are no overall Western estimates on the cost of the detours.

But German airline Lufthansa alone says it will add 1 million euros a month to its bottom line.

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