The last two weeks have seen a flurry of sanctions as countries restrict Russian airlines from their airspace and vice versa. This has opened up fresh demand for the few airlines that can still fly to both Russia and the West as passengers still look to fly. Here’s a look at which airlines are seeing or will see an uptick in demand recently.
Nearby
At the time of writing, Russian carriers have been banned from flying over or into the EU, US, Canada, and select other countries as part of economic sanctions. This move has been reciprocated, cutting the number of airlines able to fly passengers in and out of Russia. However, the ones that still can have seen a surge in demand from passengers.
Air Serbia is one such example. Since Serbia is not an EU member, its airlines are free to continue flying to Russia and carrying passengers into EU as previously. According to Ex-Yu Aviation, the flag carrier has sold out all of its Belgrade-Moscow services through March 15th and is planning on deploying its largest A330-200 on the route when available from long-haul services. The airline is also replacing Aeroflot’s axed services, with flights rising from 8 to 15 weekly from Monday, with possibly more flights to come in the future.
Russians looking to return home have been reccomended to fly through Belgrade, creating inbound and outbound traffic. Photo: Getty Images
Turkey, especially Turkish Airlines, has also become a major provider of connectivity in recent days. The country has not sanctioned Russia, the only NATO member not to do so, allowing it to continue carrying passengers unbridled. Flight prices have skyrocketed in recent days as many leave the country amid an economic crisis and seats run short.
Broader view
Looking beyond the immediate impact out of Russia, several airlines will see passenger demand in the coming months. With European, North American, and some Asian carriers unable to…