Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, all 27 countries in the European Union (EU) have banned in its entirety Russian planes from their airspace, which suspended flights to and from Russia. In kind, Russia has currently banned air carriers from 36 countries from their airspace, most of which are countries that have imposed stringent sanctions. In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently increased the no-fly zone for U.S. carriers to include Ukraine and Belarus, as well as part of western Russia, which is a major route between Europe, North America, and Asia. Consequentially, flights will have to reroute, increasing extra fuel cost and time to itineraries.

When it comes to altering your travel plans to Europe, Dan Bubb, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Nevada advises that it would be something to consider since airlines hedge their costs on the price of fuel and connect directly to the price of oil, which has already been price tagged with prices to rise significantly. In addition, when airlines are instructed to avoid Ukraine and Russian airspace, travelers can expect their flight will take more time and their plane will exhaust more fuel. As a result, additional costs are likely to be inherited to their customers via higher ticket prices.

Flying over Russian and Ukrainian airspace presents challenging coordination of overflight rights. Most civilian flights between Europe and Southeast or Eastern Asia pass over Russia making it a challenge for airliners to circumvent around the largest country in the world. London to Tokyo, for example, is around a 12-hour flight, usually crossing over Russia and the Nordic countries. An alternative for airlines avoiding Russia is flying south, avoiding the Black Sea and the Caucasus before flying over central Asia.

Jonathon Keymer, director of intelligence at Crisis24, states that travel between Asia and Europe on Asian-based carriers face minimal to no delays when circumventing Ukrainian/Russian airspace. He also notes that flights from the U.S. to Rome have not been impacted and are operating close or at normal operation.

"Because of Russia's geographic scale, overflights from airlines all over the world pass through Russian airspace each day," Mikael Robertsson, co-founder of aircraft tracking service FlightRadar24. "From the UK, normally about a dozen flights each day pass through Russia en route to places like Hong Kong and India. From the EU, hundreds of flights each transit through Russia en route to destinations in Asia. And from the US, most cargo traffic between the US and Asia passes through at least a small portion of Russian airspace. Pre-Covid, the numbers were even greater, especially from the UK, but long-haul passenger flights have yet to really recover."

Presently, the airspace above Ukraine and its Russian border remains a ghost town, as seen through FlightRadar24, a program that tracks aircrafts.



Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association airline industry regulatory, in a statement provided to CNN emphasized that safety remains the top priority for his agency. Further he added, “IATA is helping to facilitate the relevant and timely sharing of information with airlines from government and non-government sources (NGOs) to support airlines as they plan their operations around airspace closures in Ukraine and parts of Russia."

Professor Bubb also noted that the conflict doesn’t necessarily mean you should stay away from Europe in its entirety, so long as travelers’ destinations are far from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, maintain their vigilance and to be aware of any civil demonstrations in that country. He did dissuade in the interim travelers planning to visit the conflicting country’s neighbors, such as Poland, Romania, Moldova, the Baltic States, and Slovakia since they are currently being impacted by the massive influx of refugees.

However, those still committed to traveling to Eastern Europe regardless of the potential for price hikes and delays can still salvage their trip.

But Poland remains committed to welcoming visitors who already planned on visiting.

Przemysłlaw Marczewski, a representative for the national Polish Tourism Organisation stated, "travel to Poland is smooth, and the borders of the Republic of Poland with neighboring countries are not closed."

Marczewski noted that despite being inundated to aid Ukrainian refugees, the travel industry there is supporting the citizens of Ukraine with temporary accommodation in hotels.

Travelers should continue to keep an eye on updates and destination advisories from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the equivalent to the United States’ largest transportation agency.

Back stateside, the U.S. State Department continues to keep its citizens apprised of any and significant developments. The agency encourages Americans to enter their travel plans in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which will make it possible for them to get security alerts and updates to travel advisories. In a statement, the department also indicated that those traveling overseas should monitor local news, pay attention to emergency instructions from local authorities, and follow the Bureau of Consular Affairs on Twitter and Facebook. U.S. travelers should also avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.