First, maybe - probably not last. And Emirates (and Chinese airlines) may well get the same treatment soon, for paying Russian (or Iranian) fees in violation of the economic sanctions there.
Partly pressure from US airlines that ARE obeying the sanctions, and therefore at a competitive disadvantage (longer (and more expensive) routes, fewer flights,
and lower pax load factors to allow the longer flight routes when circumventing the sanctioned countries' airspace).
I.E. If the U.S. airlines are taking a hit from sanctions - shouldn't everyone? Shared effort?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/u...s-ukraine.html
If that is paywalled, the lead is:
Banned From Russian Airspace, U.S. Airlines Look to Restrict Competitors
Because of the war in Ukraine, U.S. carriers have to take the long way on flights to and from Asia, giving an advantage to foreign rivals flying the same routes.
By Kate Kelly and Mark Walker
Published March 17, 2023
Updated March 18, 2023
WASHINGTON — Unable to fly through Russian airspace because of the war in Ukraine, U.S. airlines are stepping up a lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill and at the White House to address what they say is a growing problem: They are losing business to foreign competitors who can take passengers between the United States and Asia faster and more cheaply.
Effectively banned from the polar routes that save time and fuel between the United States and an array of destinations on the other side of the world, U.S. carriers say they are being forced into an aeronautical version of Twister to get passengers where they want to go without taking undue risks.
They have altered trans-Pacific flight plans to ensure they would have somewhere to land in an emergency, reduced passenger and cargo loads to hold down costs as they fly longer distances, and put on hold more than a dozen planned new routes to Mumbai, Tokyo, Seoul and other cities.
Those flights were already operating with dozens of the seats deliberately left unfilled, the person added, because less weight on board was required to make the fuel last as long as possible.
Yet many foreign airlines are not banned from flying over Russia, U.S. airlines and their lobbyists say — and are winning more passengers on routes to and from the United States as a result. Continued access to the shorter and more fuel-efficient routes that Russian airspace provides is giving carriers like Air India, Emirates and China Eastern Airlines an unfair advantage, the industry lobbying group Airlines for America said in a recent presentation on Capitol Hill......
Personally, if I were Biman, I would be at
least as worried about
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrain...nes_Flight_752
