Enlarge image
Plane approaching Berlin Brandenburg Airport
Photo: R4223 Rainer Keuenhof / picture alliance / Rainer Keuenhof
The war in Ukraine has far-reaching consequences for international air traffic: In response to the Russian-led attack, more and more countries - including Germany, all EU countries and a number of other European countries - have decided to open their airspace to Russian air traffic to lock machines.
Now came Moscow's answer to this sanction: in future, Russia's airspace will be closed to aircraft from Germany and 35 other countries.
According to the Federal Ministry of Transport, the German ban has been in effect for flights to Germany and overflights since Sunday afternoon.
The regulation is initially planned for three months.
It does not apply to humanitarian flights or overflights.
But what effects does it already have for travellers?
What will happen to the holiday plans or already booked flight tickets?
Read the expert opinions here.
How are the airlines reacting to the war in Ukraine?
After Russian troops invaded Ukraine, numerous airlines suspended their connections to Ukraine and Russia for the time being.
Some examples:
Lufthansa has
been
avoiding Russian airspace since Saturday evening and is changing its flight plans.
The website says that all Lufthansa flights to and from Russia will be canceled until March 5th.
According to the current status, there are a total of 30 passenger flights to Russian destinations.
The regular flights of the main airline Lufthansa,
Eurowings
and
Austrian Airlines
will not take place this week, a Lufthansa spokesman said on Monday.
Lufthansa flights to and from Ukraine have been suspended until March 26, 2022.
The company is constantly monitoring the situation and will decide on further flights at a later date.
The Lufthansa subsidiary
Swiss
had initially announced that it would stick to its eight Russia connections because Switzerland had initially not issued any flight bans for Russian airlines.
In the meantime, it has also closed its own airspace: starting today at 3 p.m. for all flights from Russia and for all flight movements of aircraft with Russian license plates.
The flight from Zurich to Moscow planned for today has also been canceled.
The Dutch airline
KLM
announces on its website that it has suspended its connections to and from Moscow and Saint Petersburg as well as through the entire Russian airspace until further notice.
There are also temporarily no KLM flights to and from China, Korea and Japan.
Alternative routes outside of Russian airspace are currently being sought.
According to its own statements, KLM has not flown to Kyiv since February 12.
The national airline
Singapore Airlines
announced that the connections between Singapore and Moscow were suspended.
Are flights to Asia now being cancelled?
In order to avoid greater effects on the entire industry, the airlines rescheduled their usual flight routes, says Michael Trinkwalder from the Tübingen company A3M, a service provider for crisis and early warning information for travel worldwide.
more on the subject
Response to the West: Russia blocks airspace for Germany and 35 other countries
According to current information, flights to Japan, South Korea and China on the alternative route would mainly go through Turkey.
Connections in the direction of Southeast Asia had not previously passed through Russian territory, says Trinkwalder.
However, the situation is less favorable for travelers who are traveling in the other direction: Since there are now no connecting flights in Russia, some connections from Asia to Europe are problematic, says the expert.
However, Trinkwalder does not expect that European travelers will soon have to fly to Asia again via Alaska, as they did at the height of the Cold War.
According to Finnish airline Finnair, bypassing Russian airspace means most passenger and cargo flights to Asia are not economical, Finnair CEO Topi Manner said on Monday.
Finnair is the first airline to withdraw its 2022 business outlook due to the sanctions.
What if the airline cancels my flight?
If an airline cancels a flight, under the Air Passenger Rights Ordinance, consumers have the choice between reimbursement of the ticket costs within seven days or alternative transport.
If travelers only find out about the cancellation of the connection at the airport, they are also entitled to free meals, refreshments and two telephone calls.
Passengers are not entitled to financial compensation of 250 to 600 euros, as provided for in the EU regulation for flight cancellations, for example, if the reason for this can be attributed to extraordinary circumstances, says Jan Philipp Stupnanek, travel law expert at the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center.
Examples include civil unrest and war.
Who do I contact if I have questions about the connection?
For individually booked flights, consumers contact the airline directly, advises travel law expert Stupnanek.
If the flight is a package tour service, it is better for those affected to contact the respective tour operator.
Does the war pose a particular risk for my flight on vacation?
"A particularly hazardous situation can actually generally be denied," says travel safety analyst Trinkwalder.
According to current flight data, the entire Ukraine, Belarus and also the southwest of Russia are now being flown around by almost all airlines.
Shooting down a passenger plane like in 2014 is therefore very unlikely at the moment.
"But it's understandable that many passengers have a queasy feeling about the events in the Ukraine," says Trinkwalder.
Can I return my ticket free of charge if I have concerns about flying?
"In the case of individually booked flights, there is only a right to free cancellation if it has been contractually agreed," says travel law expert Stupnanek.
Otherwise, the airline is entitled to the agreed remuneration less saved expenses, such as taxes and fees.
Only if the service cannot be provided - for example in the event of a flight or entry ban for the respective passenger - does it not have to be paid for, says the consumer advocate.
Can an airline subsequently make tickets already booked more expensive?
Changed routes may incur higher costs for the airlines.
Because flights between Europe or the USA and Asia are getting longer due to the airspace closures.
In some cases, stopovers for refueling and crew changes may be necessary.
However, price adjustments are only possible if the terms of the contract contain a price adjustment clause for this case, says Karolina Wojtal from the European Consumer Center Germany.
However, this is unusual and would also have to withstand a judicial review.
Trinkwalder estimates that due to the Ukraine war there could be significant flight restrictions and thus foreseeable ticket price increases for flights outside of Eastern Europe.
more on the subject
News on the Ukraine war: UNICEF: "The situation for children is getting worse by the minute"
Global sanctions: Russian economy threatened to collapse by 20 percent
Talking to children about war: »Dad, do we all have to die?« A column for parents by Markus Deggerich
Where are airspaces closed to Russian airlines?
The airspace
above all EU countries
is blocked for Russian airlines such as Aeroflot, Azur Air or Ural Airlines.
Great Britain, Norway, North Macedonia
and
Iceland
also
joined the measure.
The
United States
is currently considering the airspace closure.
Canada
has already made that choice.
"We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks on Ukraine," Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Sunday.
Late on Sunday evening, however, a plane operated by the Russian airline Aeroflot flew over the east coast of Canada coming from Miami in the USA.
The Canadian Department of Transport then declared on Twitter that "Aeroflot flight number 111 violated the ban in place".
The ministry announced an investigation.
In response to EU airspace restrictions, the Russian airline Aeroflot will suspend all flights to Europe from Monday, the Russian agency Interfax reported.
jus/dpa/AFP
