Korean airline companies suspend air routes over Russia

Korean Air, Asiana Air and Air Busan have decided to suspend routes to Russia as well as flights over Russia. Detour routes will be used for the airlines’ routes to Europe and the U.S., increasing flight time and burden for passengers and airliners.

Korean Air announced on Tuesday that it would be suspending its Incheon- Moscow route that leaves from Incheon every Thursday and returns on Friday by the end of April. Air Busan’s Incheon- Vladivostok route, which had run bi-weekly will be suspended until mid-April, due to unstable airport operations at Russia and concerns on passenger and air freight safety from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Air freight routes to Russia have also been suspended.

Korean Air and Asiana will not be flying over Russia as well. Though the country is not banned airspace, Korea will be using the route that flies over China- Kazakhstan- Turkey instead for safety purposes. Air routes flying from New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Toronto will rely on routes that go over Alaska and the Pacific. Air routes that start from Incheon and arrive in the U.S. will be normally operated as they do not go through Russian airspace.

Using detour routes will result in longer flight hours: Incheon- Europe and U.S.-Incheon routes will be 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hour and 45 minutes and 1 hour to 1 hour 40 minutes longer respectively. Industry sources said that passengers will be expected to fly longer hours while airline business should bear higher oil price burdens.


bjk@donga.com