SEOUL, Aug 27 (AJU PRESS) – Earlier this month, British Airways announced that it would suspend its London-Beijing route from October. The suspension is expected to last until at least November 2025. The decision is part of a broader trend among Western airlines to reduce their routes between the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, mainly due to the high costs associated with avoiding Russian airspace.
Since the war in Ukraine began, Western airlines have diverted their flights south over the Middle East to avoid Russian airspace. However, escalating tensions in regions such as Israel and Iran are making it increasingly difficult to travel these routes safely. Both Iran and Israel have been accused of GPS spoofing, a technique that involves sending false location signals to satellites. While this practice is intended to divert attacks away from civilian targets, it also disrupts GPS systems used by civilians, including aircraft, and poses significant security risks.
In March, a Turkish plane bound for Beirut had to turn around because a manipulated GPS signal prevented a safe landing. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has since warned pilots flying near conflict zones about these risks. In light of increasing tensions, particularly with Iran, several airlines, including Delta, United and Lufthansa, have temporarily suspended flights to high-risk areas such as Tel Aviv and Beirut.
The instability is also affecting key air routes between Europe and the Middle East, particularly those that pass over northern Iraq near Iran. In September 2023, several aircraft reported losing their GPS signal on this route, and a business jet nearly entered Iranian airspace without authorization. OpsGroup, which monitors aviation risks, reported a 400 percent increase in GPS spoofing incidents, affecting about 900 flights daily.
In response to these increasing risks, some airlines, including Singapore Airlines and Finnair, have decided to avoid Iranian airspace, resulting in longer flight times. Meanwhile, Russian GPS spoofing has also disrupted air traffic in neighboring countries such as Lithuania and Estonia, leading to temporary route closures.
Despite these challenges, not all airlines avoid Russian airspace. Chinese airlines are capitalizing on their ability to fly over Russia and have expanded their connections to Europe and the US. For example, Air China launched new flights to London as British Airways prepared to leave Beijing. By using Russian airspace, Chinese airlines can offer shorter flight times compared to Western carriers, giving them a competitive advantage.
The Biden administration has approved more flights from China on Chinese airlines, despite objections from some U.S. lawmakers, citing unfair market advantages. This concern is shared by European airlines such as Air France-KLM, whose CEO has called for a ban on flights to Europe via Russia.
Ongoing geopolitical tensions are affecting global air travel and presenting an uncertain future for Western airlines, while some Chinese airlines continue to capitalize on these challenges.
