newstodate.aero

Jun 26, 2023 (newstodate): Overflight charges levied by Russia's Federal Air Navigation Authority were long a virtual cash-cow supporting Aeroflot.
   Now, the closure of Russia's airspace in retaliation to western sanctions imposed on the country has drastically reduced the revenue stream.
   Today, airlines from notably China are still operating through Russian airspace, providing a competitive edge over western airlines that are forced to bypass Russia at the higher costs and longer flying hours.
   Other airlines continuing flying through Russian airspace include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India and Turkish Airlines, and Ethiopian Cargo.
   Russia has now announced a hike by 20 percent in overflight charges to raise money for the country's ailing war economy.
   The volume of transit flights through Russia's airspace dipped steeply in 2022, as confirmed by Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency.
   In 2022, a total of 79,652 transit flights were performed through Russian airspace, a drop by 59 percent, y-o-y.
   Since the 80'ies, Russia has collected massive royalties from airlines operating on the Trans-sibir air lanes; however, the Russian ban on "unfriendly" airlines' flights through its airspace has had an adverse effect on the country itself: in 2019, airlines paid about 1.6 bio euro on overflight charges - money badly needed to keep Russia's commercial aviation, primarily Aeroflot, in the air, and leading to deep cuts in Rosaviatsyiya's budgets for staff and equipment.
   In the skies over Russia in 2022, Russian ATC served 1.4 million flights, 13 percent less than in 2021.