How Travel In Europe And Asia Is Being Affected By Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
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Last Updated 9 months ago
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has plunged Europe into the largest and bloodiest conflict it has seen since the end of World War II. And, as Vladimir Putin‘s troops continue to gather and push further west into Ukraine, there have been fears the already fragile travel industry, which was brought to its knees during Covid, will face yet more disruption.
Previously, we analyzed how U.S. visitors traveling in Europe could be affected as a result of the war. Unfortunately, this is now a reality, with several flights being canceled or re-routed this week, not only in Europe but in places as far as Asia. The U.S. has now issued travel advice for many European countries that border Ukraine.
As tensions grow, travelers may no longer be completely out of the woods, even after Omicron-related restrictions are lifted.
Travelers In Europe And Asia Face Cancellations As Russian Airspace Is Sealed Off
Earlier this week, the European Union and its NATO partners, which include the United States, have teamed up in banning Russian planes and flag-carriers from transiting their airspaces, including the popular Aeroflot, which served countless routes in Eastern Europe and beyond. In retaliation, Moscow has also banned 36 countries from its own airspace, sending the travel industry into a tailspin.
Because of that, East-West connectivity has essentially come to a standstill, with no commercial flights being available between Russia and a majority of destinations in Europe and North America. As a direct result, Germany’s Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Eurowings and Austrian Airlines canceled 30 flights to Russia alone this week.
Additionally, British Airways has also taken a huge hit, being forced to ax all of its Russia flights after Moscow issued a flight ban. Similarly, Air France suspended the entirety of its Russia service, as the West severs diplomatic ties to the country and hostilities become more common. These are just a few of several European airlines announcing changes to their schedule this week.
Unsurprisingly, the Old Continent is not the only one mourning losses, with Asia also being hit hard with cancellations amid the geopolitical imbroglio. Several flight routes to Asia have had to be slashed or re-routed as Russian airspace closes down and the U.S. allies condemn Russian military activity in Ukraine.
AirFrance has suspended all flights to China, Korea, and Japan, until more suitable routes are found that do not involve crossing Russian airspace. Finnish flag carrier Finnair made a similar move, cancelling popular flights to Seoul, South Korea (ICN), Osaka, Japan (KIX), Tokyo, Japan (NRT), Shanghai, China (PVG), and Guangzhou, China (CAN) until the end of March.
Across the pond, United Airlines was one of the first American carriers to enact changes, ending its use of Russian airspace and, as a result, axing two flight routes to India. Namely, flights to and from Mumbai and Delhi. In an official statement, the airline cited the “longer routes” resulting from the need to avoid Russia as a reason for halting the flights.
Avoiding Russia may also add considerable flying time on North America-Asia routes. As United’s competitor on the Delhi route, American Airlines frequently makes fuel stops in Bangor, Maine (BGR) when returning to Kennedy Airport. For now, we still do not know whether United is planning any such technical stops.
Passenger Flights Were Targeted In Russo-Ukrainian War Before
Western nations seem to be acting with increased caution, especially after the Russian-backed war in the Donbass region of Ukraine, which started in 2014 and resulted in an Amsterdam-Kuala Lampur commercial flight being shot down when flying over the Ukrainian-Russian border. All passengers and crew traveling on the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 were killed.
Over in Asia, Japan Airlines also either canceled or rerouted all flights to and from Europe, citing “safety concerns” regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The move will further limit connectivity between Asia and Europe, which was already threatened due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, yet to be declared finished even after two years.
Airlines are not the only ones having to adapt to the new world order: cruise lines have had to change their itineraries in order to skip Russia, as the Slavic nation becomes more and more isolated by the day. This means travelers hoping to hop off in the Russian port city of St. Petersburg will no longer be able to for a long while.
As the situation escalates, more flight disruptions and an even greater East-West divide are expected. For that reason, we recommend all our readers to purchase travel insurance covering Covid, and particularly flight cancellations before heading to Europe or Asia. Americans should also follow official travel advice for specific countries and make contingency plans when flying to Europe during the crisis.
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How Travel In Europe And Asia Is Being Affected By Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
This post may have affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you!) if you choose to purchase through them. Here’s our Disclosure & Privacy Policy for more info.
Share The Article
Last Updated 9 months ago
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has plunged Europe into the largest and bloodiest conflict it has seen since the end of World War II. And, as Vladimir Putin‘s troops continue to gather and push further west into Ukraine, there have been fears the already fragile travel industry, which was brought to its knees during Covid, will face yet more disruption.
Previously, we analyzed how U.S. visitors traveling in Europe could be affected as a result of the war. Unfortunately, this is now a reality, with several flights being canceled or re-routed this week, not only in Europe but in places as far as Asia. The U.S. has now issued travel advice for many European countries that border Ukraine.
As tensions grow, travelers may no longer be completely out of the woods, even after Omicron-related restrictions are lifted.
Travelers In Europe And Asia Face Cancellations As Russian Airspace Is Sealed Off
Earlier this week, the European Union and its NATO partners, which include the United States, have teamed up in banning Russian planes and flag-carriers from transiting their airspaces, including the popular Aeroflot, which served countless routes in Eastern Europe and beyond. In retaliation, Moscow has also banned 36 countries from its own airspace, sending the travel industry into a tailspin.
Because of that, East-West connectivity has essentially come to a standstill, with no commercial flights being available between Russia and a majority of destinations in Europe and North America. As a direct result, Germany’s Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Eurowings and Austrian Airlines canceled 30 flights to Russia alone this week.
Additionally, British Airways has also taken a huge hit, being forced to ax all of its Russia flights after Moscow issued a flight ban. Similarly, Air France suspended the entirety of its Russia service, as the West severs diplomatic ties to the country and hostilities become more common. These are just a few of several European airlines announcing changes to their schedule this week.
Unsurprisingly, the Old Continent is not the only one mourning losses, with Asia also being hit hard with cancellations amid the geopolitical imbroglio. Several flight routes to Asia have had to be slashed or re-routed as Russian airspace closes down and the U.S. allies condemn Russian military activity in Ukraine.
AirFrance has suspended all flights to China, Korea, and Japan, until more suitable routes are found that do not involve crossing Russian airspace. Finnish flag carrier Finnair made a similar move, cancelling popular flights to Seoul, South Korea (ICN), Osaka, Japan (KIX), Tokyo, Japan (NRT), Shanghai, China (PVG), and Guangzhou, China (CAN) until the end of March.
Across the pond, United Airlines was one of the first American carriers to enact changes, ending its use of Russian airspace and, as a result, axing two flight routes to India. Namely, flights to and from Mumbai and Delhi. In an official statement, the airline cited the “longer routes” resulting from the need to avoid Russia as a reason for halting the flights.
Avoiding Russia may also add considerable flying time on North America-Asia routes. As United’s competitor on the Delhi route, American Airlines frequently makes fuel stops in Bangor, Maine (BGR) when returning to Kennedy Airport. For now, we still do not know whether United is planning any such technical stops.
Passenger Flights Were Targeted In Russo-Ukrainian War Before
Western nations seem to be acting with increased caution, especially after the Russian-backed war in the Donbass region of Ukraine, which started in 2014 and resulted in an Amsterdam-Kuala Lampur commercial flight being shot down when flying over the Ukrainian-Russian border. All passengers and crew traveling on the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 were killed.
Over in Asia, Japan Airlines also either canceled or rerouted all flights to and from Europe, citing “safety concerns” regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The move will further limit connectivity between Asia and Europe, which was already threatened due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, yet to be declared finished even after two years.
Airlines are not the only ones having to adapt to the new world order: cruise lines have had to change their itineraries in order to skip Russia, as the Slavic nation becomes more and more isolated by the day. This means travelers hoping to hop off in the Russian port city of St. Petersburg will no longer be able to for a long while.
As the situation escalates, more flight disruptions and an even greater East-West divide are expected. For that reason, we recommend all our readers to purchase travel insurance covering Covid, and particularly flight cancellations before heading to Europe or Asia. Americans should also follow official travel advice for specific countries and make contingency plans when flying to Europe during the crisis.
Read More:
↓ Join Our Community ↓
The Travel Off Path Community FB group has all the latest reopening news, conversations, and Q&A’s happening daily!
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LATEST POSTS
Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Path’s latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox
This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Russian invasion of Europe ‘more likely than ever’ & Germany may be wiped out at any moment, bombshell leaked docs warn
A RUSSIAN invasion of Europe is “more likely than ever” and Germany could be wiped off the map at any moment, a bombshell leaked report has warned.
Top military brass in Germany have urged the country to prepare itself for an impending war with Russia, amid fears the war in Ukraine will escalate into a global conflict with NATO.
In confidential documents leaked to the German publication Der Spiegel, one of the country’s top generals Eberhard Zorn ordered the country’s army to put itself on a war footing in the face of “existential” threats.
The 68-page policy paper produced in late September is titled “Operational Guidelines for the Armed Forces”.
In it, General Zorn called for the complete overhaul of the German military, and to prepare itself for war.
“Attacks on Germany can potentially occur without warning and with great, possibly even existential, damage,” he wrote.
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Germany’s armed forces, known as the Bundeswehr, has 183,638 active personnel as of February this year, and 949,000 reserve personnel.
This compares to the Russian army, which is reported to include around one million active troops and up to two million reserve personnel.
Although the modern German army has been involved in foreign conflicts such as Afghanistan, Zorn calls for the Bundeswehr to prepare itself “for an enforced war” on its own territory.
He warned that a war in a NATO member nation in Eastern Europe has “become more likely again,” and called on Germany to play a leading role in the continent’s defence, and create a more “robust” armed forces.
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Instead of smalling smaller, specialised units on missions abroad, he demanded for large units that are ready at times to fight for NATO.
“Alliance defence, including the ability to provide visible and credible deterrence, will dominate Germany’s military action,” he said.
This would mark a drastic change in modern Germany’s military policy, which since the end of WWII has focussed on maintaining a small military, while having foreign military bases on its own soil.
The move comes after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a “turning point” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Where Germany had before looked to maintain close relations with Russia – a remnant of its Cold War-era Ostpolitik policy – Scholz acknowledged that “war in Europe is a reality again”.
He also pledged 100 billion euros (£87bn) to bring the country’s military up to speed.
If we don’t jump fast, no army will move in Europe
Report
As part of a major stepping up of Germany’s military, it was announced that the Bundeswehr would buy 53 Airbus A400M transporter planes, Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, and several unmanned aerial vehicles.
It will also procure additional NH90 helicopters, 579 Puma infantry fighting vehicles, at least 503 Boxer multirole armoured fighting vehicles, and new warships and military submarines.
Germany is also looking to bring home most of its troops from Mali, where they were deployed as part of a UN stabilisation mission, as part of the reorganised Bundeswehr set out in the leaked documents.
The paper says that in the event of Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern border, Germany would have to provide “reactive and combative forces” and couldn’t wait for support from the US.
Zorn warns that neither the EU nor NATO can afford “to start planning and generating forces only after the attack has taken place”.
He goes on: “If we don’t jump fast, no army will move in Europe.”
However, the leaking of the report may be a sign that German military chiefs have grown frustrated at what they see as a sluggish response by their government to earlier pledges of money.
“There is a war raging in Ukraine but procedures here are still running in peace-time mode, while inflation is eating up the money,” a defence manager told Reuters.
Another source claimed that Germany hadn’t yet replenished the ammunition that it had given to Ukraine, leaving its army hopelessly underequipped.
“Contracts for some ammunitions have been approved but that’s just a drop in the ocean compared to what we actually need,” they said.
Germany supplied Kyiv with 14 self-propelled howitzers and 13,500 rounds of artillery ammunition from its own inventories in the early days of the war, but reportedly they have not yet been replaced.
It comes after the German army accidentally issued uniforms for its soldiers with ‘SS’ labels.
The initials are believed to have stood for “small, short”, with a “production problem” blamed for the mistake.
Source https://www.traveloffpath.com/how-travel-in-europe-and-asia-is-being-affected-by-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
Source https://www.traveloffpath.com/how-travel-in-europe-and-asia-is-being-affected-by-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
Source https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/20435132/russian-invasion-europe-germany-destruction-nato-ukraine/
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