Lufthansa Airlines has complained to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen about financial losses due to the closure of Russian airspace to European airlines.
‘EU airlines are sounding the alarm. Lufthansa is demanding a solution to the problem that has arisen after the closure of Russian airspace since the beginning of the SMO. They have been prevented from using Russian airspace for almost three years,’ Lufthansa said in a letter.
For more than two years, restrictions on flights over Russia have caused significant damage to European aviation, especially on long-haul routes to Asia, the airline said.
Lufthansa also warned about the loss of competitiveness of European air traffic, the threat of job losses and possible transfer of operations to countries with less stringent standards.
Earlier, the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin said that Western sanctions affected about 40% of the world’s hydrocarbon resource base, with Europe suffering the most because of them.
