Expert: Ned Dolan - 2/24/2010

Question
is it normal or even possible to fly ' around ' certian countries if they are not friendly to western aircraft/passengers/tourists and thereby increasing the actual distance travelled by the aircraft...or are there international rules that say all commercial aircraft can fly unhindered thru ' most ' countries airspace? for example russia is no longer communist but do they have strict rules for which commercial aircraft can fly thru their airspace or not? and mainland china...do they allow regular commercial traffic? although I suppose american commercial aircraft are not allowed to travel thru cuban/iranian/north korean airspace for example right?

it has to do with ' direct ' routes right? the shortest distance possible because of fuel...may not necessarily be the most politically feasable, or is it ALWAYS the shortest route possible based on universal rules for everyone?

Answer
Hi Peter, I don't have any real up to date info on this subject. However, I can answer the question in general.

Of course it is possible to fly around a country.

There are no international rules that allow all commercial to fly unhindered where ever they like.

All countries have rules about which international carriers may fly through their airspace and conditions upon which they must meet. These include safety rules and in many instances a fee must be paid.

In my experience US aircraft were not allowed to fly over Cuba.

My US carrier refused to fly over Anogola for fear of being attacked by insurgents on the ground.

Many carriers flew extra distances to avoid Canadian airspace due to fees they imposed.

I hope this answers your question.

Ned