As we know, flight disruption has plagued the aviation industry for several years. First, the Covid pandemic came in 2020, causing heavy financial losses as governments restricted international travel which meant that demand for flights slumped. This lasted for over two years. Even when pandemic restrictions were lifted in the middle part of 2022, there was chaos as many airlines struggled due to a lack of staff. This is because many had been laid off during the pandemic when demand was less and more time was needed to re-recruit. As a result, airports introduced flight restrictions and airline finances took more time to recover.
Ukraine Invasion
Even as the world economy was struggling to recover from the effects of the Covid pandemic, war was on the horizon. Since the end of the Cold War (a period of heightened tension between the former Soviet Union and the West), there has been tension between the West and the Soviet Union’s main successor state, Russia. Proxy Wars ensued with Russia supporting the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad against the Syrian opposition wanting democratic change. The airspace above Syria is still effectively a no-fly zone with the country deemed to be in a state of civil war since 2011.
Finally, Russia chose to act directly by deciding to invade Ukraine, a nation that was formally part of the Soviet Union along with Russia. The effects were immediate. In the prelude to the invasion, Ukraine’s flagship carrier Ukrainian International Airlines was grounded. Airlines such as the Hungarian-based Wizz Air stepped in to help evacuate foreign nationals, but once the invasion began Ukrainian airspace became a no-fly zone. As reciprocal sanctions banned Western airlines from flying through Russian airspace and vice-versa, planes have had to detour around Russia, even taking extreme measures such as going through the Arctic Circle to reach the Far East, adding to their expenses and flight times. In addition, sanctions applied to Russian oil have for the most part permanently increased aircraft fuel costs.
Middle East Conflicts
The Middle East is also fraught with problems which have led to flight disruption. In addition to the Israel-Gaza conflict, there is now fighting taking place in Lebanon. Furthermore, Iran is also involved in the conflict. Last week, in response to Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, Iran fired over 180 missiles into Israel. Since then the UK foreign office has been advising against foreign travel to Gaza, the West Bank, and northern regions bordering Syria and Lebanon. It also warns against all travel to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
The European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published Conflict Zone Information Bulletins (CZBs) recommending that European Union airline operators do not operate in the air spaces of Iran, Israel and Lebanon at all flight levels. Many airlines have now adjusted services accordingly including British Airways, easyJet and Air France. All of this has impacted air traffic in the region with Cairo (Egypt), and Antalya and Istanbul (both in Turkey) reporting more dense traffic due to airlines avoiding other parts of Middle Eastern airspace. In addition, there were flight delays and cancellations affecting airports in the region.
As one can see, even as the aviation industry struggled to recover from the pandemic years, the world was greeted by war in Ukraine and now the ever-widening conflict in the Middle East. All of this has taken a toll on the industry as it meanders through flight restrictions and resulting flight disruption and cancellations. We will have to wait to see how this progresses.
