Friendly Skies Cold War Thaw Opens New Routes For Airlines

The end of the Cold War is helping to revolutionize air travel between North America and Asia.

With the gradual opening up of the Russian Far East, and the easing of tension on the Russian-Chinese border, airlines will shortly be flying over areas that were once militarily sensitive and sealed to foreign aircraft.

Previously, planes flying from North America to Asian destinations - such as Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong - had to skirt Russian territory. The perils of going astray became deadly clear in 1983, when the Soviets shot down a Korean airliner, killing all 269 people on board.

Airline executives say they are looking forward to shorter flights and millions of dollars in savings with the end of those circuitous routes planes once were forced to take to avoid restricted airspace.

“It’s almost momentous,” says Tony Laven, technical director of the Singapore office of the International Air Transport Association. “This is of major importance to operators working the Asia-Pacific region.”

Gilbert Chow, Hong Kong manager of Northwest Airlines, said his company’s 10-hour Hong Kong-Seattle flight could be cut by up to one hour when it starts using a new route Tuesday.

Canadian Airlines recently made a test flight from Vancouver to Beijing and lopped two hours off the usual 13-hour flight, according to Richard Webb, the airline’s Hong Kong manager.

Other, smaller countries are signing on to the new order in the skies, attracted in part by the revenues earned from airliners passing through their skies.

Korean Air says it has cut its flying time to Rome from 13 hours to under 11 following a recently signed agreement with Mongolia. Even North Korea is considering opening its airspace, Laven said.

The opening up of new air routes coincides with a new satellite-based air traffic control system for the region, which Laven said would go into operation by the end of the year and would allow far more flights.

Airlines, anticipating millions of dollars in savings and new revenues, have invested in language training for Russian controllers to prepare them for a sharp increase in traffic.

With the economic rise of the Asia-Pacific region, air traffic has been growing at 9 percent to 11 percent annually.

Osaka’s new airport alone has boosted north Pacific traffic by 10 percent to 15 percent since it opened last year, Laven said.

Flights over the Russian Far East could increase from 15 a day to 40, he said.