British Airways banned from Russian Airspace

British Airways only one of several UK airlines banned from Russian airspace. In a tit-for-tat gesture all UK airlines will avoid Russian Airspace. This comes after Boris Johnson confirms that Aeroflot would be banned from the UK. Other countries have followed suit. Czech republic and Poland followed in quick succession. These flight bans form part of the arsenal of sanctions countries are imposing.

Russian airspace ban will affect British Airlines

The ban on UK flights will hit airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic hard. Regularly crossing Russian airspace to reach their Asian destinations there will now be a large detour. Flights are flying over Europe to cross below Russian airspace. As they fly closer to the equator this will add 100’s of miles to their flight plan with longer flight times.

Russia’s civil aviation authority confirmed the measure taken :

As a response to unfriendly decisions by the UK aviation authroities regarding the restriction on regular flights of aircraft owned, leased or operated by a person associated with Russia or registered in Russia

Rosaviatsia

It is not just British Airways banned from Russia. Virgin Atlantic are cancelling a 4 x Weekly freighter service to Shanghai. Flightradar24 are showing British Airways and Virgin Atlantic’s new routes into India. Operating a much longer and costly route to avoid Russian Airspace.

As more countries begin to block off airspace to Russia it will be interesting to watch their flight capabilities reduce.