A ban of Russian aircraft from U.S. airspace has gone into effect

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Airline industry sources say had this happened before the pandemic, the impact would have been much greater. U.S. airlines few 1,400 flights a week through Russian airspace in 2019, but the pandemic sharply reduced international air travel.

European airlines are more greatly affected, as many are no longer flying to the Russian cities they served nor can they take shorter routes through Russian airspace to and from many Asian destinations.

Petchenik says Lufthansa's flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo, for example, which used to loop high over Russia's polar region, now has take a much longer path through south Asia. So a flight that used to take under 10 hours now takes nearly 13 hours.

"So you're adding a significant amount of time and a significant amount of distance covered, which means a significant amount of fuel burned as well," making it much more costly for the airline, Petchenik said.

So while experts say the airspace ban is largely symbolic, economic sanctions will likely cripple the ability of Russian airlines to operate their fleets, as it is becoming nearly impossible for them to get parts and make needed repairs to keep their planes flying

Aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, and G.E., which makes and services airplane engines, both announced they are suspending parts, maintenance and technical support services for Russian airlines.

"The inability to access services and spare parts and all of the electronic support that come along with operating a modern airliner, all of those things are going to bring Russia's commercial aviation industry to a halt very quickly," Petchenik says."

Given the sanctions that have already affected their ability to get spare parts, I'm not sure who would want to fly on a Russian aircraft anyhow.

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel wow Brother William, you want to talk about sanctions that's a big one there.