Russia has closed its airspace to Swiss and European airlines until March 31st, as a response to a Swiss and EU ban on Russian flights.
Swiss airlines announced a suspension of all Russia-bound flights until the end of March after the announcement was made.
Prior to that, Swiss had flown from Zurich to Moscow five times per week, from Geneva to Moscow twice a week and from Geneva to St Petersburg once per week.
The ban applies to both commercial and private jets and the only exception to the ban is for humanitarian, medical or diplomatic flights.
Sanctions on Russia: Is Switzerland still a neutral nation?
What does the closure of Russian airspace mean for Swiss flights?
While the direct impact of Switzerland closing its airspace to Russian aircraft may be primarily symbolic, the closure of Russia’s sizeable airspace makes a significant impact for those on long-haul flights eastward.
In addition to Russian airspace being closed, conflict has led to the closure of airspace in Ukraine, Belarus, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Flights from Switzerland to China and Japan are particularly impacted by delays, with the duration to be between one and three hours longer.
"The result is longer flight times between Zurich and Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing," a spokesperson for the airline told Swiss news outlet 20 Minutes.
In addition to the longer distance, the flights are now more subject to further delays.
For instance, a longer flight time can mean more weather-related delays, while the closure of Russian airspace looks set to lead to bottlenecks in certain areas, such as above Iran.
Swiss news outlet 20 Minutes confirmed that airspaces in several countries are organised in an “old-fashioned way”, which means flights need to follow after each other rather than above each other, as takes place in other countries.
Hansjörg Egger, a Swiss aviation expert, told news outlet Blick that bottlenecks lead to additional fuel usage.
"The planes have to constantly change altitude in order to avoid one another. That needs more kerosene," Egger said.
Due to the longer flight distance, the planes will require more fuel, although Swiss said the costs would not be passed on to consumers.
Egger told Blick that although closures of airspace are relatively normal for airlines, Russia's breadth makes this closure significant.
"It's not just any country, it's the largest country on earth with eleven time zones!," he said.
Where are flights not affected?
Flights to south-east Asia are not subject to delays at this point, as they do not normally fly over Russian airspace.
Swiss tabloid Blick reports that flights to Singapore and Thailand, for instance, are not subject to delays at this stage.
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