Closure of Russian airspace ‘single biggest factor’ stopping foreign airlines from boosting service to China, global body says

The head of a global airline industry group has said Russia’s closure of its airspace will be the “single biggest factor” in the restoration of international flights to and from China, as European and American carriers warned of an uneven playing field.

While mainland China’s domestic flight traffic was now greater than before the pandemic struck, international flights were still in a “recovery phase”, International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief Willie Walsh told reporters at the close of its annual meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday.