Airlines announce problems with flights to China

Russian airlines complained to the Ministry of Transport about problems with flights to CHINA , which began to ease anti-covid restrictions. After the ban on flights to the EU and the US , the importance of China for aviation has "increased exponentially", according to the industry

The Association of Air Transport Operators (AEVT), which includes 22 Russian companies, including Aeroflot, S7, Ural Airlines and Utair, complained to the Ministry of Transport about problems starting or operating flights to China. This is stated in a letter from AEVT President Vladimir Tasun, which he sent to the HEAD of the Ministry of Transport Vitaly Savelyev on February 3. RBC has a copy of the letter, its authenticity was confirmed by a source in the airline that previously flew to China.

Before the CORONAVIRUS pandemic, China was in the top 10 countries in terms of international traffic for Russian airlines. For almost three years, from February 2020 to February 2023, air traffic between RUSSIA and China was drastically reduced, primarily due to restrictions imposed by the Chinese side. Now, of the Russian airlines, only Aeroflot flies from Moscow to China. From Chinese carriers, according to ATOR, Air China and Hainan Airlines fly from Beijing to Moscow. IrAero and Aurora operate flights from Irkutsk and Khabarovsk to Harbin, respectively.

Now China has begun to lift restrictions, in particular, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the PRC reported that from February 6, Chinese travel agencies will be able to resume sending tourist groups to 20 countries, including Russia. Against this background, Russian airlines are thinking about restoring or increasing their presence on Chinese routes. However, due to Western sanctions pressure, the industry has new problems. In order to resolve the issues that have arisen with flights to China, the head of the AEVT proposed holding face-to-face consultations with the aviation authorities of the two countries with the participation of the Russian Foreign Ministry until March 26, that is, before the start of the new summer flight schedule. After the closure of the European and American markets due to Western sanctions, the importance of the Chinese market for Russian airlines "increased many times over," Tasun said in a letter.

RBC sent inquiries to the press services of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the AEVT.

What problems do airlines face?

The head of the AEVT appealed to the Ministry of Transport after airline representatives at a meeting in the association discussed the difficulties they face in operating or planning flights to China. Tasun, in a letter to Savelyev, lists three main problematic issues:

Russian airlines cannot operate flights to China on aircraft that are not excluded from the Bermuda registry (over 480 aircraft) or are on the US Department of Commerce sanctions list (over 170). Since May 2022, China has not allowed into its airspace aircraft that have the so-called double registration - in Russia and another country. Most of the imported aircraft of Russian airlines were registered in Bermuda and Ireland, but after the introduction of Western sanctions due to the start of a special operation in Ukrainecarriers began to re-register them in Russia, but it was not always possible to remove them from the foreign register. As a result, many aircraft had two registrations at once. In addition, aircraft that are on the list of the US Department of Commerce are prohibited from refueling, maintaining and repairing. Moreover, flights to China may be hindered, among other things, by sanctions restrictions on working with Russian airlines by local airports and service providers, says Igor Smirnov, senior DIRECTOR for corporate ratings at Expert RA. Read PIONERPRODUKT .by How the earthquake in Turkey shook the country's economy and Erdogan's position What phrases of grandparents can harm a child Refusal of MEAT, sportsdaily: how Schwarzenegger keeps in shape at 75 Cleaner instead of an artist: how to keep a job in the world of neural networks

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There are problems with flights to China on Russian-made aircraft, primarily Superjet, which have not previously flown to this country, Tasun notes (what exactly the problems are, the letter does not specify). But, for example, IrAero, which now flies a Superjet twice a week from Irkutsk to Harbin, has no difficulties. “We don’t have any difficulties, whether of a technical or organizational nature,” says the carrier’s press secretary, Nikolai Bessonov. Yakutia plans to resume flights from Yakutsk to Harbin on the Superjet and also sees no risks for this, said Andrey Vinokurov, CEO of the airline. The Azimuth representative is also unaware of any problems with Superjet flights to China. The airline has been granted access to flights from Mineralnye Vody to Beijing and from Ufa to Urumqi.covid-19, "historical" slots (time slots for flight arrival and departure), which are extremely scarce at Chinese airports, will be lost. This can lead to difficulties in restoring transportation, the letter says. According to independent aviation expert Grigory Pomerantsev, in 2019 there were about 200 regular flights a week between Russia and China, of which two-thirds (that is, about 130-140 flights a week) were operated by Russian airlines. Most likely, some restrictions on slots may be at the Beijing airport during the peak periods of the "high season", he believes. Since we are talking about “historical” slots, it is possible that some Russian carriers have fears of canceling previously agreed permits during peak periods at the initiative of Chinese airports or their redistribution in favor of competitors (including Russian),

Why carriers need flights to China

Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, China was one of the key and highly profitable markets for international air travel, including for Russian airlines. What's more, Russian airlines dominated the market, recalls a carrier manager who flew wide-body aircraft there from Central Russia. In 2019, Russian carriers carried 2.7 million passengers on regular flights between China and Russia (3rd place, more only to Germany and Italy), charter flights - 282 thousand (8th place, according to the Transport Clearing House). Of these, Russian airlines transported the most passengers between Moscow and Beijing (539,000). But since February 2020, air traffic between the two countries has been practically interrupted, primarily due to restrictions imposed by the Chinese side.

As demand resumes, the frequency of flights to Beijing (Daxing Airport), Shanghai and Guangzhou can be increased to daily, and the company plans to operate flights to Chengdu up to three times a week, an Aeroflot representative told RBC, adding that the new seasonal schedule, which will be valid from March 26, while it is in the process of formation. Now Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft, which Aeroflot bought and registered only in Russia, fly three times a week to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and once to Chengdu.

S7 Airlines plans to resume flights to China from Novosibirsk and Irkutsk, as the airline has always considered the Chinese market to be important and promising, says Yana Tychinskaya, press secretary of the carrier. IrAero intends to expand the geography of flights to China at the expense of Manchuria and Sanya, Bessonov said. Utair also expects to start flights to China, now this company is completing its accreditation in China, according to a source familiar with its plans.

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Pre-pandemic flight volumes are definitely achievable, since now China's role as a trading partner of the first magnitude will only grow, Smirnov believes. Passenger traffic will also support China's role as a major transportation hub for connections to the Southeast Asian region, he adds. However, the return of Russian airlines to the previous level in terms of traffic volumes will depend on the permission of local authorities to fly on existing long-range aircraft, Sergey Zhuzhlin, partner at Strategy Partners, believes. In addition, the recovery of the transportation market will be negatively affected by the lack of a transit flow of Chinese passengers who used Moscow to fly to Western countries, says Oleksandr Lanetsky, General Director of Friendly Avia Support.