China’s biggest air carrier halts flights to Moscow in blow to Putin

China’s largest airline, China Southern Airlines, has suspended flights from Beijing to Moscow at the end of January, a surprise move that comes just ahead of the Chinese New Year.

Newsweek reached out to China Southern Airlines and the Russian Foreign Ministry with an emailed request for comment outside of office hours.

Why It Matters

The Chinese New Year holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, is the world’s largest “human migration,” with millions returning home to reunite with their families. In recent decades, it has also become a major driver of international tourism as China’s growing middle class began exploring destinations across Asia and beyond.

Russia’s tourism landscape has shifted since President Vladimir Putin‘s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with most Western airlines halting flights to Russia, either due to home-country restrictions or Moscow’s retaliatory bans. China remains a major source of tourism, economic lifeline, and political support to the country.

What To Know

China Southern Airlines, the country’s top carrier, has temporarily canceled its Beijing-Moscow route for over eight weeks starting January 20, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATORUS) reported on Tuesday. Newsweek independently verified these dates.

The association estimated the change could affect the travel plans of 15,000 to 17,000 people and cited travel industry sources as saying that so far the biggest concern is for those traveling to a third country via the Chinese capital.

Other major airlines continue to serve the route, and China Southern Airlines customers can still reach Moscow with a transit stop in the southeastern city of Guangzhou.

China Southern Airlines has not provided a clear reason for the cancellations, with one tour operator telling ATOR the carrier has been ignoring requests for explanations.

ATORUS stated that the move was unlikely to be connected to last week’s European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommendation for flights over Russia, pointing out that dozens of Chinese flights will continue the route each day.

EASA advised foreign airlines to avoid areas west of longitude 60 degrees East, which passes through the Ural Mountains region in Russia, due to increased risks connected to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Chinese nationals comprised nearly half of the 218,000 international tourists registered by Russia’s border authorities in the first quarter of 2024, down from 470,000 total tourists in 2019.

What People Are Saying

Anna Filatovskaya, director of advertising and public relations at Russian Express travel and tourism company: “We are checking whether [customers’] flights will take place and what the airline itself will offer as an alternative. We are looking at alternative flights for guests in the system.”

What’s Next

China Southern Airlines sales for Beijing-Moscow tickets will resume on March 30.