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Japan Airlines, ANA Cancel All Flights to Europe
Japan Airlines and ANA have announced they are cancelling all flights to and from Europe because of safety concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the wake of the crisis, a growing number of airlines have cancelled or rerouted flights between Europe and North Asia, which normally use Russian airspace.
A JAL spokesperson said that the company is monitoring the situation, but given the current situation in Ukraine and the different risks, japan airlines bookings have been cancelled.
ANA Cargo and JAL said they were suspending their flights because they may not be able to fly over Russia given the current Ukraine situation.
The European Union and Canadian airlines have been banned from Russian airspace as a response to their curbs on Russian airlines. Japan has yet to do the same.
According to a spokesperson for flight tracking website FlightRadar24, ANA and Japan Airlines check-in, say they operate about 60 flights per week through Russian airspace between Tokyo and London, Paris, Frankfurt, and Helsinki.
Fuel Costs for Japan Airlines and ANA
Following the loss of access to Russian airspace, Finnair announced on Wednesday it would resume four weekly flights from Helsinki to Tokyo on a new route and with a longer flight time of 13 hours, up from 9.5 hours previously.
Increasing routes will increase fuel costs and lower the amount of cargo that can be transported in a tight market for air freight that is aggravating pandemic-related issues in the global supply chain.
Meanwhile, FlightRadar24.com shows Korean Air still flying over Russian airspace as of Thursday.
Taiwanese carriers, however, are now avoiding Russian airspace and flying over China and Central Asia instead.
In addition, ANA said it would cancel eight flights to and from London, Paris, and Frankfurt on Friday.
Vaccines will be carried on the return flight from Tokyo to Brussels via Central Asia, it said, adding all-cargo flights would operate.
