The European sanctions against Russia have caused an unexpected consequence for the the Scandinavian airlines, known as SAS, as Chinese aviation companies have eyed a gap in the market. European flights to China have dropped considerably low compared to the pre-pandemic market. At the same time the amount of Chinese flights to Europe have increased.
This is partially due to Russia closing of its air space for European airplanes as a consequence of the European Union’s sanctions on Russia. European airlines such as SAS therefore have to fly a detour south of Russia, which skews global competition. According to SAS, their airplane from Copenhagen to Shanghai is in the air for 9.5 hours and uses 55.804 kilograms of fuel, whereas the route around Russia takes 12 hours and increases the amount of fuel used with around 30 percent.
SAS says the long flights from Europe to China are an important part of their business, but the company has not been able to achieve the pre-pandemic success in the region. Today, Shanghai is the only SAS destination in China and the company’s activities on the Chinese routes have decreased by 73 percent compared to 2019.
Source: Ekstra Bladet
