Asian airlines ‘look beyond Europe’ amid geopolitical instability
October 7, 2024
Geopolitical instability in the Middle East is pushing airlines in Asia to reconsider the extent of their European route networks, a leading operator has warned.
The war in Israel and the wider regional instability has seen airlines forced to cancel or re-route services, lengthening flight times, with the airspace over Iraq and Iran considered too dangerous to fly through by many carriers.
Speaking to Aerospace Global News at Routes World 2024, Petri Vuori, senior vice president for route development at Finavia, which is responsible for maintaining and developing Finland’s airport network, said the conflict was “influencing all airlines, making it harder for them to fly certain routes. This has an impact on the business case and has resulted in additional costs for operators on those planned routes.”
Vuori said that airlines were now warning that with much of the Middle East effectively closed to overflights, in addition to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, carriers were considering how best to redeploy their aircraft.
“When I am talking to some Asian carriers now, they are saying that flight times to Europe are becoming too long, and they might send their aircraft to other destinations in North America or Australia,” he said.
Key air corridors over conflict zones, including those in Israel, Lebanon, and surrounding areas, are critical for routes between Europe, Asia, and Africa. These disruptions have lead to detours, resulting in delayed schedules and additional crew hours, and some airlines have reduced or suspended services to affected areas, decreasing passenger capacity.
“The whole of Europe is losing because of this,” he added. “Airlines have to find the best use of their aircraft. Before it was level competition, but now Europe is behind.”
