How Russian Airspace Closures Changed Europe-Asia Travel Markets

On February 28, 2022, just days after Russia launched a deadly invasion of Ukraine which continues today, Russian aerospace regulatory authorities announced the complete closure of Russian airspace to airlines from 36 different nations in a retaliatory move against these mostly Western countries from banning Russian airlines. In just a few hours, the world of global aviation slid back into the days of the Cold War, when Soviet airspace was closed down to all but a few domestic carriers.