The Russia-Ukraine conflict could "redraw" the world's aviation map.

NO-FLY ZONES CAUSE AIR TRAFFIC DISRUPTIONS

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which broke out on February 24, immediately prompted Ukraine to declare the closure of its airspace, creating a crisis.No-fly zone(No-fly zone) for commercial flights, causing congestion at a fairly busy transit point.No-fly zonesThe (no-fly zone) then quickly expanded to Moldova in southwestern Ukraine, Belarus in northern Ukraine, and areas in eastern Russia.

The United Kingdom announced a ban on all Russian aircraft using British airspace from February 25th, leading to a response from Russia with a similar flight ban on British aircraft.

TheNo-fly zonesThe no-fly zone continues to expand after the European Union (EU) announced the closure of the airspace of all 27 member states on February 27th. This ban targets all Russian airlines, aircraft owned by Russia, and aircraft operated by Russia. Canada subsequently followed suit, announcing the closure of its airspace to Russian aircraft from February 27th.

In response, on February 28, Russia also announced the closure of its airspace to 36 countries, including Canada and several European nations. Simultaneously, due to being unable to enter Canadian airspace, Aeroflot (Russia) also announced the suspension of flights to four US destinations: New York, Washington, Los Angeles, and Miami; as well as to Cancun, Mexico, and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

From the US side, according to USA Today on March 1st, in a speech at the White House, President Joe Biden announced that the US would close its airspace to all Russian flights.

MANY FLIGHTS TO ASIA HAVE TO TAKE A LONGER DIRECTION.

The closure of airspace is creating more and more problems.No-fly zones(No-fly zones) immediately impacted the aviation industry, which was already struggling to recover from the effects of Covid-19, and now faces the added pressure of rapidly increasing fuel prices.

To avoid risks, airlines are still forced to reroute some flights along alternative routes to avoid them.No-fly zones(no-fly zones). This makes routes longer, increasing flight times and fuel costs. Conversely, there would be fewerAlternate Airport(alternative airport if landing at the original intended destination is not possible) is more likely, therefore there will be fewer flights.

Currently, Russian air traffic is facing challenges in these areas.No-fly zones(No-fly zones) are very large in Europe, forcing flights heading west to take much longer detours.

From February 27th to midday on February 28th, according to data on the US flight tracking website FlightAware, the number of flights to and from Russia's largest international airport, Sheremetyevo (in Moscow), that were canceled accounted for one-fifth of the total number of flights. Among the Russian flights that had to turn back were...No-fly zonesOne Aeroflot flight, which was flying near Canadian airspace, had to turn back to Russia.

The impact on other countries is also evident. For example, flights from London (UK) to Asia have to take a much longer detour south to avoid Russian airspace. Similarly, Polar Air flights from the US to Asia cannot use Russian airspace.Alternate Airport(alternative airport)...

According to many experts, the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to impact global tourism, due to increasing disruptions to air services. This is a major disadvantage for the tourism industry, as the number of passengers, mostly tourists, is projected to increase during the peak summer travel season of 2022, thanks to many countries around the world reopening to international tourism.

Thanh Nguyen