Ukraine War Upends Flights, Stokes Fears for Staff, Planes
The invasion of Ukraine shattered air travel across much of eastern Europe.
(Bloomberg) -- The invasion of Ukraine shattered air travel across much of eastern Europe as carriers avoided airspace above the beleaguered country as well as neighboring nations amid fears for the safety of flights.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc, one of the few foreign airlines with bases in Ukraine, was working to extricate four planes and a unspecified number of staff stuck in Kyiv and Lviv after Russia launched attacks on targets across the country.
Flight bans were imposed above Ukrainian skies and areas across its northern, southern and eastern borders by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, while Moldova and Belarus declared full or partial airspace closures. Airlines were also giving large swathes of Russia a wide berth almost as far north as Moscow, after the government closed parts of its airspace and EASA warned that mid-range missiles could pose a threat there.
“While it’s still to early to assess the impact the war will have on customer sentiment and bookings, it will make the major recovery that the industry had hoped for this summer that much harder,” Rob Morris, global head of airline consultancy Ascend, said by phone.
Shares Fall
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday issued its own set of flight restrictions mirroring those already in place by other nations.
Airlines could also find themselves caught in the political aftermath of the invasion. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson banned Russian airline Aeroflot, which links Moscow to London Heathrow airport, from landing in the country as part of a toughened set of sanctions on Thursday.
European airline stocks tumbled. Hungary-based Wizz Air plunged more than 12% to 3,190 pence ($42.72) in London trading.
Eastern Europe’s biggest discount airline has workers in Ukraine because its business model requires the deployment of planes at dozens of bases across Europe. Most other carriers serving the country fly there from their home hubs with aircraft returning each evening.
“We will be evacuating, at the earliest opportunity, all of our Ukrainian-based crew, their immediate families, and any families of Wizz Air Ukrainian nationals who wish to leave the country,” spokeswoman Christie Rawlings told Bloomberg News, declining to comment on the number of people concerned.
While the flight bans mean passenger services can no longer operate, it may be possible for aircraft to take off to evacuate staff, she said, adding that the company is working to understand the process.
Moldova, close to the Black Sea port of Odesa, where Russia has stationed military ships, separately closed its airspace amid security concerns, Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said.
Belarus, north of Ukraine and thronged with Russian forces, also closed part of is airspace to civil flights, Interfax said, though airlines have been avoiding the area since the forced landing of a Ryanair Holdings Plc jet last May. Four ballistic missiles were launched from Belarus toward the southwest, Ukraine’s military chief said.
Ryanair, which bases planes in more than 80 locations across Europe, said it has no bases or staff in Ukraine.
Diverted Flights
Airline-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed a LOT Polish Airlines SA service bound for Kyiv turning back to Warsaw early in the day, while a Wizz service from Milan to the Moldovan capital Chisinau diverted to Iasi in Romania. An Air Moldova flight from Tel Aviv was also rerouted there.
Aegean Airlines SA said it ordered a plane bound for Moscow from Athens to return to Greece shortly before entering Russian airspace, after the EASA warning. Aegean flights have been avoiding Ukraine airspace since Feb. 14.
Wizz previously served 110 routes at six Ukrainian airports, including 50 from Kyiv and 32 from Lviv. The carrier said it will explore options for redeploying spare capacity once the immediate situation has been addressed.
Among major European carriers, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, British Airways parent IAG SA and Air France-KLM were all down more than 6%. Discount carrier EasyJet Plc fell 7.6% and Ryanair dropped 2.6%.
Wizz stock is now down 25% for the year after also coming under pressure in the weeks building up to the conflict. It remains the only decliner on the six member Bloomberg EMEA Airlines Index, with other carriers still in positive territory or flat.
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