Bypassing Russian airspace raises fuel consumption and carbon emissions on Eurasian routes

After Russia closed its airspace, European airlines' flights to Northeast Asia were forced to detour. On November 2, 2026, Skift Feed reported that Skailark analysis shows that on Europe–Northeast Asia routes, airlines prohibited from or avoiding Russian airspace use 13.8% more fuel per flight than competitors still able to fly over Russia. The analysis compared data for the same routes and aircraft types between 2019 and March 2025 to June 2026; the extra fuel consumption adds 1.53 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, accounting for 12% of the total emissions of these flights. The report also said Finnair's flights to Northeast Asia now take about one-third longer than before Russia closed its airspace in 2022.