In response to the United Kingdom's decision to prevent Russian aircraft from entering its airspace, Russia also did the opposite. Therefore, British airlines are prohibited from crossing the east of the country. This action was expected and will directly affect British airlines' flights to Asia.
The Russian official said in a statement that the move came in response to the “hostile decisions” taken by London and announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on February 24.
The UK's main airline, British Airways, said it was avoiding Russian airspace to fly over and canceled its service between London and Moscow. Furthermore, the airline added that it will redirect its flights to destinations in Asia.
However, changing course will have an impact on companies. On Friday (25th) of this month, one of the flights heading to India traveled approximately 900 additional kilometers because it had to divert from Russia, which contributed to increasing the flight time by one hour.
An example of the impact on British flights blocked from Russian airspace. An additional 896 kilometers and an increase of 45 flight minutes compared to the average flight. https://t.co/UiyIw9lCX4 pic.twitter.com/8HLcbe42a4
– Flight Radar 24 (@flightradar24) February 25, 2022
As well as impacting direct flights between the UK and Russia, Rosaviatsia's decision to close its airspace to UK airlines will impact passenger and cargo services between the UK and Asia, limiting options for the Far East and India.
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