The world’s commercial aviation sector struggles to keep pace with the rapidly escalating conflict in Ukraine as Europe’s second-largest country by area closed its airspace for commercial flights, following a military invasion by the Russian military on multiple fronts early Thursday.
Europe
Countries across Europe including Moldova and Belarus halted flight operations to and from Ukraine, while Polish Airlines had to turn back to Warsaw following stern warnings from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that Ukraine’s entire airspace, as well as parts of the Russian and Belarusian skies within 100 nautical miles of shared borders, pose a significant risk of aircraft targeting.
“In particular, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft,” the statement read, highlighting that “the presence and possible use of a wide range of ground and airborne warfare systems poses a high risk for civil flights operating at all altitudes and flight levels.”
The US
On its part, the US Federal Aviation Administration FAA has released a similar advisory, banning all US commercial flights from operating within and around an extended area including Ukraine’s airspace.
According to Reuters, Russia’s Defence Ministry sent an urgent notice to its Ukrainian counterpart, warning of the high risks the military operation poses to flight safety, demanding the country to halt all civil flight activity within its airspace.
The Middle East
In the Middle East, airlines including Flydubai, WizzAir Abu Dhabi suspended all flights to Ukraine on Thursday, while others, including Etihad Airways, were forced to reroute their flights to avoid the mounting threat. “Flights between Dubai and Ukraine have been temporarily suspended on February 24, we will be in touch with the passengers regarding their refund and rebooking options,” Flydubai stated.
On the other hand, FlightRadar24, the real-time flight tracker showed Etihad Airways joining several commercial carriers as they completely avoided the country’s airspace and followed alternative routes to the north and west of Ukraine.
Financial impact
Fuel prices saw a substantial surge and airlines were warned to “exercise caution” following the invasion, meanwhile, leading aircraft insurers cut the notice period to 24 hours to cancel the policies for Ukrainian airlines.
According to several accounts, insurance companies stressed they will not cover flights to or through Ukraine before the invasion.
On a related note, airline shares witnessed a significant drop across Europe, with a 6% drop in average for leading carriers. Meanwhile, US carriers are forecasting further losses in light of the anticipated sanctions forcing them to fly longer routes.
The ongoing conflict is set to hinder any plans for recovery across the global aviation sector as it continues to grapple with the pinching pandemic induced losses.
