Avoiding Russia has become a climate problem for airlines heading from Europe to Northeast Asia — and a competitive disadvantage. Finnair, one of the most affected airlines, says it’s committed to its climate goals.
Finnair flights to Northeast Asia now take about a third longer than they did before Russia closed its airspace in 2022, using up more fuel and spewing more emissions.
Russia barred airlines from EU countries and the U.K. from its airspace in retaliation for their bans on Russian carriers after its invasion of Ukraine. Airlines from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have largely avoided Russian airspace over safety concerns. This cut off many of the most efficient routes between Europe and Northeast Asia.
On routes between Europe and Northeast Asia, carriers that are barred from or avoid Russian airspace burn 13.8% more fuel per flight than rivals that still fly over it, according to an analysis by Skailark. The firm compared fuel burn on identical routes and aircraft types in 2019 and from March 2025 to June 2026.
The extra fuel burn adds 1.53 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, or 12% of those flights’ total. Skailark used the Inte
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Tags: airlines, aviation, aviation emissions, climate change, emissions, geopolitics, greenshift, skift intelligence