Russia closed its airspace to Western airlines in February 2022. Flights that used to go over Russia now have to take a much longer path around it.
Official notice: CZIB-2025-01-R3 ↗ · in force until January 31, 2027
Supporting source: safeairspace.net (third-party aggregator) ↗
The closure forces every affected airline to reroute via Central Asia, the Gulf, or south of Iran. Pre-closure, a London–Tokyo overflight took ~12 hours. Current routings via Central Asia run 14–15 hours, and Gulf alternatives 15–17 hours. The knock-on effect is severe congestion in the Central Asian corridor, which now handles traffic volumes it was not designed for.
Further reading
Why Russian Airspace Makes Asia Flights Longer →Routes that use this area
Amsterdam → Beijing
KLM / Air China Direct
Amsterdam → Hanoi
Via Beijing
Amsterdam → Hanoi
Via Hong Kong
Amsterdam → Ho Chi Minh City
KLM Direct
Amsterdam → Hong Kong
KLM Direct (Central Asian Routing)
Amsterdam → Melbourne
Via Hong Kong
Amsterdam → Osaka
Via Beijing
Amsterdam → Osaka
Via Istanbul
Amsterdam → Osaka
Via Seoul
Amsterdam → Seoul
KLM Direct
Amsterdam → Shanghai
KLM / Air China Direct
Amsterdam → Shanghai
Via Beijing
Areas affected
This is based on EASA and FAA notices and monitoring sources. We do not provide real-time safety data or tell you which flights to take.
Check with your airline and your government's travel advice before booking.