Long distance business has resumed. “Mostly,” says Swiss boss Dieter Vranckx (49) when asked by Blick. “America is in very good demand – things in the Atlantic are doing extraordinarily well.” But Asia is slowly opening up. “China gives me a bit of a headache,” says Vranckx. It’s hard to say when things will really start again. “We’ll have to be surprised.”
For flights to Asia, Switzerland still has to accept detours. The Ukrainian war is responsible for the extended flight time (one to three hours more!). “For some routes, it would be cheaper if you could fly via Russia. These winding roads we had to fly cost us more money due to higher kerosene consumption,” says the Swiss boss.
Can you never fly over Russia again?
At this time, the end of the war is not in sight, and Russian airspace will remain taboo for now. Vranckx warns: “There is no automatism. Once the war is over, that doesn’t mean we can immediately fly over Russia again. This will be part of the negotiation between countries.”
The Swiss boss goes a step further: “Theoretically, it’s possible that you’ll never be able to fly over Russia again. You always need a country’s permission to use its airspace.” Even in the event of a change of government, Russia will need new approval before it can fly over the country again.
How realistic is such a scenario? According to former Swissair jumbo pilot and aviation expert Olav Brunner (82), Russia would be cut off by an eternal airspace ban. “If a country blocks its airspace for no reason, it must take into account the fact that it is no longer allowed to fly over other airspaces.”
Ulrich Rotzinger, Dominique Schlund
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
