After the conflict in Ukraine broke out in February 2022, many flights had to take longer routes because dozens of Western countries closed their airspace to Russia and vice versa, researchers said on February 12. This increased the aviation industry's CO2 emissions, accelerating global warming, the Moscow Times reported.
These restrictions initially led to a decline in flights between North America and Europe to East Asia. As routes were rerouted, airlines were forced to take detours to avoid Russian airspace.
To better understand the environmental impact, the researchers analyzed 750,000 flights taking place between March 2022 and December 2023, representing 1,100 of the approximately 90,000 flights conducted each day globally.
Although only a small fraction of the distance travelled, the additional distance of flights still has a significant impact on the total carbon emissions of the aviation industry, according to Professor Nicolas Bellouin, co-author of the study from the University of Reading.
Professor Bellouin stressed that changes in flight lengths have increased CO2 emissions from the global aviation industry by 8.2 million tonnes, or 1%, in 2023.
The study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, found that each adjusted flight emitted an average of 18 tons of CO2, roughly the same as a short-haul flight. The study also noted that emissions from other pollutants also appeared to have increased.
Meanwhile, Russian airlines have been flying fewer long-haul flights since 2022. This may have helped reduce emissions somewhat, the study authors said.
The study concludes that the current geopolitical situation is significantly hindering the aviation industry's efforts to cut CO2 emissions.
