Western Airlines Cut Flights to China by 60% from Peak Levels

Decrease in Demand for China
Russia Blocks Passage Through Its Airspace

Photo unrelated to the above article. Photo by Yonhap News

It has been revealed that Western airlines, including those from the United States and Europe, have significantly reduced flights to China. This is due to decreased demand for travel to China and the need for detours that consume more fuel because Russia has blocked access to its airspace.

According to aviation data provider OAG on the 20th (local time), the number of international flights between North America and Europe to China during this summer peak season has decreased by more than 60% from the 2018 peak of 13,000 flights. In contrast, flights operated by Chinese airlines on the same routes have only decreased by 30% compared to their 2019 peak.

Virgin Atlantic, a UK airline, recently discontinued its only China route to Shanghai. This month, British Airways announced it would suspend its London-Beijing service. British Airways had previously regarded the Beijing route as "one of the important routes" when it resumed service last year and was recruiting Chinese-speaking cabin crew as recently as January this year. However, now even the Shanghai and Hong Kong routes have seen their flight frequencies cut in half.

Australia's Qantas also reduced its Sydney-Shanghai route last month. Qantas stated that there were often flights operating at only half capacity.

In addition to decreased demand, Russia's ban on overflight has also had an impact. In 2022, Russia prohibited US and European airlines from flying over its airspace. As a result, Western airlines must avoid Russian airspace and take detours when traveling to East Asia. This adds about three hours to flight times and increases fuel consumption, causing them to fall behind Chinese airlines in competition.