Asian airlines ignore Ukraine's airspace warning over Russia

Ukraine has warned airlines to avoid Russian airspace due to planned drone strikes, but most Asian carriers have ignored the alert, according to German media reports. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on September 1 urged airlines to stop flying over Russia, citing plans to increase daily drone attacks from about 300 to 1,000. Some carriers, including Pegasus Airlines and Flydubai, have already adjusted routes, while Russia restricted night flights at Moscow airports. Most carriers, including Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Chinese airlines, continue using Russian routes for cost and time savings. Russian authorities dismissed the warnings, but experts note risks from air defense systems, citing the December 2024 downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines jet.