Russian Airlines Reroute to Morocco as Sanctions Close Global Airspace

The impact of the closure of several airspaces to Russian planes and companies is already being felt. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union, Canada, the United States and many other countries have banned their airspace to the Russians. In contrast, South American countries like Mexico and Cuba have kept their airspaces open. This sanction has prompted the Russian airline Aeroflot to suspend its international flights. However, it has maintained domestic flights and flights to Belarus.

Russian companies that continue to operate international flights are facing huge difficulties. An Azur Air flight between Moscow and Cancun had to cover 12,999 km, with a stopover in Agadir, Morocco, reports the specialized site FlightRadar24.com. Previously, these same flights covered 10,023 km by overflying Finland, Norway and Sweden. The Russian company Nordwind is in the same situation. It now covers 8,099 km to reach Los Cabos, Mexico.

In response to the sanctions, Russia has in turn closed its airspace to 36 countries: Albania, Anguilla, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, British Virgin Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Jersey, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Morocco is not affected by this measure.