Canadian airlines, such as Air Canada, have stopped flying over Russia.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is having an effect on how Canadian airlines operate.
Not only have some flight routes’ paths changed, but some routes may be in jeopardy thanks to pricier new flight paths, and spiking oil prices that could result in fuel surcharges, say industry insiders.
Canada has banned Russian planes from its airspace.
While Russia has yet to officially reciprocate and announce that it has banned Canadian planes from its airspace, Canadian airlines, such as Air Canada, have stopped flying over the country.
What had been a non-stop Air Canada route between Vancouver and Delhi flew over Russian airspace.
Other Air Canada routes, such as Vancouver-Beijing and Vancouver-Hong Kong would also fly over Russian airspace, although Air Canada told Business in Vancouver in an email that it has halted Vancouver-Hong Kong flights until April 22, and is not currently flying to Beijing.
University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business adjunct professor John Korenic told BIV that flights from Vancouver to many Asian destinations fly high over the Arctic not only because the Earth’s curve makes the flights shorter, but also because there are fewer headwinds that slow the planes.
“Typically, when you go to Beijing, you fly over Anchorage, Alaska, and roughly over Nome, Alaska, over the Bering Sea into Siberia, and you fly over a good part of Russia to a place called Khabarovsk, and then you come in north of Harbin, China, to Beijing,” said Korenic, who teaches aviation management.
A new Air Canada flight path for Beijing, if that route is reinstated, would likely be further east, over Japan, and it would mean more miles, and more time, he said.
Air China flights between Vancouver and Beijing likely would not have the same obstacle.
A new flight path for Air Canada’s route between Vancouver and Delhi could add more than a couple hours to the flight time, meaning…