One of five Ukrainian Boeign 737-800 planes landed at Castellon airport yesterday in light of the political situation in Ukraine and Russia, on February 15, 2022 in Castellon, Valencian Community, Spain.
Carme Ripolles | Europa Press | beautiful pictures
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this week is ripping through the air travel industry, triggering no-fly zones and other restrictions.
Ukraine closed its airspace to civilian flights before Russia’s invasion early Thursday, suffocating an exit point.
Discount airline Wizz Air on Friday said it was trying to evacuate crews stranded in Ukraine.
Spokesperson Christie Rawlings said: ‘We are still working hard to get them out as soon as possible. “We are in regular contact with all crew and can confirm that many of them were able to get out of the country via ground transport. The majority of our staff here are Ukrainian citizens.”
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa Group had previously suspended flights to Ukraine.
KLM told CNBC on Friday that it also cuts some flights to Russia so crews don’t have to spend the night there.
No-fly zones for aircraft have been extended to Moldova and eastern Russia. Many airlines have avoided eastern Russia since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian missile in 2014.
The website FlightRadar24, an online flight-tracking tool, shows no planes flying over Ukraine after the Russian attack.
Igor Golovniov | Lightrocket | beautiful pictures
The backlash to the Russian invasion included British officials barring the Russian aircraft carrier Aeroflot from landing there, leading to retaliation from Russia banning British carriers from using its airspace. mine.
Several airlines rerouted planes around potential conflict zones in the days leading up to the invasion.
Bruce Chan, a logistics analyst at Stifel, said: “Any diversion the plane has to make around the no-fly zone will add to fuel costs.
The higher costs will come at a time when airlines are grappling with soaring fuel prices.
United Parcel Service began flying a route south around Ukraine last week.
“While this alternative routing adds to flight time, we feel it is a viable alternative to continue to provide safe and efficient operations,” the airline said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide additional updates to you as we receive them,” said in a notice to pilots on Feb. 21.
Several international carriers have inquired about the possibility of fueling and ground support at Anchorage Airport in Alaska, a major cargo airport, a spokesperson told CNBC. The questions are an indication that airlines are developing contingency plans if much of Russia’s airspace is closed to them.
Delta Airlinesfor his part, said on Friday it has suspended its codeshare agreement with Aeroflot, allowing airlines to book seats on each other’s flights.
