US, European airlines pay more, lose out to Chinese carriers amid Russian airspace closure

Russia closed its airspace to 36 countries, mostly in Europe, following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022

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In Asia, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo are filling the role as transfer hubs. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 12:00pm, 30 Aug 2024

With no end of the Ukraine war in sight, analysts said Western airlines are spending tens of thousands of US dollars per trip on extra flight time to reach China without the use of Russian airspace, blunting their competitive edge against their Chinese peers and prompting cuts in the number of flights.

The trend, which emerged following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022, has also posed a challenge to Beijing’s efforts to court foreign travellers, which have included visa waivers, easier access to mobile payments and new cross-border flights.

Each hour of flying a Boeing 777 costs at least US$10,000, and sometimes double, said John Grant, a senior analyst with British aviation intelligence firm OAG.

In terms of fuel, a Boeing 777 burns about 7.5 tonnes per hour, while a more fuel-efficient jet such as a Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 use around 5.5 tonnes, said Dennis Lau, consultancy services director with Hong Kong-based aviation services firm Asian Sky Group.

A popular route from Beijing to Frankfurt on average takes a Chinese airline 9.5 hours, while a German carrier would need 12 hours to complete the same journey, analysts said.