Airlines who still use Russian airspace – full list

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the air traffic passing through Russian airspace has changed drastically. But which airlines still travel to and through Russia?

The Russian invasion of Ukraine starting in spring 2022 caused a lot of consequences for the air traffic in the area. Many countries decided to place sanctions against the country and its airlines, and at the same time a lot of airlines were blocked from Russian airspace.

avoiding russian airspace — Most major airlines are currently avoiding Russian airspace due to the conflict with Ukraine. Map from mapchart.net.

With this being said, some airlines still operate flights passing Russian airspace (or to destinations in Russia). In our compilation below you find major airlines that are still active in the area. Note that currently all North American, South American and Oceanic airlines are avoiding Russian airspace, and the airlines using the airspace can also change due to the evolution of the conflict. Check your airline of choice to see their current restrictions.

Asian airlines

The majority of the airlines from Asia have not made the same kind of sanctions as those made by for example European and North American operators, and many airlines still use Russian airspace. Listed below are all the Asian airlines still operating in Russian airspace and offering flights to destinations in Russia.

Air Arabia
Air China
Air India (does not fly to Russian destinations but use the airspace)
Beijing Capital Airlines
Cham Wings
China Eastern Airlines
China Southern Airlines
Emirates
Etihad
Flydubai
Hainan Airlines
Qatar Airways
Sri Lankan
Uzbekistan Airways
Xiamen Air

European airlines

The majority of the airlines in Europe are avoiding Russian airspace – currently only four operators fly to or through Russia. The airlines that still use Russian airspace are the ones that originate from countries with close diplomatic ties to Russia.

African airlines

When it comes to African airlines, there are only a few that are choosing to fly over Russia – these are found below.

New flight paths over Russia and its effect

Avoiding Russian airspace causes many airlines to have to change their routes. By changing the actual flight path, a lot of routes have become longer and more time consuming.

With some airlines still passing through Russia, the same route can also look very different depending on which airline you are traveling with – an example of this is the route between London and Beijing that you find on the map below. China Southern (the green line) still uses Russian airspace while British Airways (the blue lines) need to choose a different path.

actual flight path london beijing british airways china southern — Avoiding Russian airspace on the route between London and Beijing means that the distance for British Airways becomes almost 1000 miles longer than the flight path being used by China Southern – translated to time this adds almost two hours to your flight time if you travel with British Airways.

How much extra fuel does flying around Russia cause?

Making the flight paths longer causes an increase in fuel spent and more CO2 emissions – here you can learn more about how much the emissions actually are affected. Talking about usage of fuel, one flight per day from London to Beijing will cause British Airways to waste about 10 000 cubic meters more fuel than China Southern in a year – equaling four large swimming pools.

Note: When it comes to Ukrainian airspace, this is currently closed to all civilian flights due to the conflict.