Airlines argue that China has “unfair advantage of Russian airspace” Posted by David Henning on 20 February 2023 Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the aviation map through Asia has drastically changed, with Air France-KLM CEO arguing that this gives Chinese carriers an unfair advantage. Chinese carriers have access to Russia’s air space, which can cut down travel time by three hours, according to Air France-KLM CEO, Ben Smith. ‘Between Paris and Seoul, it can add up to three hours in flight time. If you’ve got a Chinese carrier that is flying over Russia, they’ve got an unfair advantage over us,’ Smith commented. A report by Reuters in December 2022 found that China is in a prime position to take advantage of Asian flights with the country opening up, having retained most of its aviation staff throughout the pandemic and airports keeping around 90% of their employees. With European and American airlines having to fly around Russian airspace, they also burn more fuel, adding to the high cost of the route. ‘We think that what this will mean is that it will be very hard to make secondary cities of China profitable in terms of flying,’ Finnair CEO, Topi Manner, commented. Follow us on social media for more travel news, inspiration, and guides. You can also tag us to be featured. TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter ALSO READ: South Africa: The world’s largest exporter of big cats… and their parts + Shop Till You Drop at China Mall Johannesburg Related Posts Cape Town’s sustainability: Leading the way in environmental initiatives 1 June 2023 As National Environmental Month commences in South Africa, Cape Town stands proudly at the forefront... read more Kapama to host Safari Guide of the Year Awards 2023 1 June 2023 Kapama Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit will host this year’s Safari Guide of the Year... read more Blood Lions relaunches for public viewing on YouTube 1 June 2023 Award-winning documentary feature film Blood Lions has been relaunched on YouTube for public viewing, creating... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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