Russian airspace restrictions ‘blocking Hong Kong airport’s return to pre-Covid capacity’
- Airport Authority’s acting CEO says ‘new routes cannot fly over Russia’, following tit-for-tat sanctions with West over country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022
Vivian Cheung Kar-fay, the Airport Authority’s acting CEO and chief operating officer, said on Monday the city’s new long-haul routes could not fly over Russian airspace, following Moscow’s decision to close off its skies to various Western nations in 2022.
“Russia’s airline routes have continued to be a big issue,” she said. “Even though local airlines can still use the airspace for old airline routes, new routes cannot fly over there.”
Cheung added that many aircraft were “being grounded” because of engine issues, without further elaborating. Over the past months, Boeing and Airbus have grounded hundreds of commercial jets due to defects, including half of the latter’s global A320neo fleet, accounting for up to 650 planes.
Western countries announced the closure of their respective airspaces to Russian aircraft following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin subsequently retaliated by restricting airlines from 36 countries in Europe and North America from flying over its skies.