European aviation companies see Russia as the most efficient route to a growing Asian market.
A Lufthansa A350-900XWB (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Germany’s Lufthansa Group expressed “hope” for Russian airspace to reopen, allowing the group’s airlines a more efficient route to northern Asia.
In an interview published Thursday by Bangkok Post, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said the company is planning for aviation growth in Asia due to increasing cargo transportation demand and MRO activities in the region.
At the same time, the closure of Russian airspace due to the war in Ukraine has proved a challenge for European carriers looking to grow in Asia.
“Depending on talks between the US, Russia and Europe, we hope the Russian airspace will be reopened, allowing us more efficient operations into northern Asia, where we are currently circumnavigating and experiencing delays,” Spohr told the Bangkok Post.
Russia is also feeling the effects of closing its airspace. A recent Business Insider article stated that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the U.S. to consider allowing air service between the two countries once again.
The potential move to restore air service would signal a winding down of tensions between Russia and the U.S., which both closed their airspaces to each other following the invasion of Ukraine. Most of Europe has also banned Russian aircraft from their airspace.
Aviation manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have both halted selling aircraft and MRO services to Russia. This, along with crippling sanctions, prompted the Russian airline Aeroflot to start scrapping older planes for spare parts in December 2024.
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