Ukraine conflict: U.S. airlines fail to launch direct flights to Bengaluru 

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. carriers have stopped flying over Russian air space, which has stopped American Airlines and United Airlines from starting flight services from Seattle and San Francisco to Bengaluru

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has resulted in two U.S. carriers indefinitely postponing their plans to launch direct flight services from two American cities to Bengaluru.

In February 2020, American Airlines had announced the launch of a Seattle-Bengaluru flight service scheduled to commence in October 2020. This was to be the first non-stop flight between Bengaluru and the United States.

Later, United Airlines announced that it would be starting a direct flight service between Bengaluru and San Francisco by spring 2021.

However, the COVID-19 outbreak led to postponement of the services.

While the Covid-19 pandemic subsided and air travel began returning to normalcy, the Russian invasion of Ukraine impacted their plans. U.S. carriers have stopped flying over Russian air space, which has meant that American Airlines and United Airlines are yet to start flight services to Bengaluru.

But, in January 2021, Air India launched a non-stop flight connecting Bengaluru to San Francisco. This service was temporarily stopped for a while before it was resumed in December 2022.

An official at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) said that the two American airlines have not commenced services due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Most of the flights originating in the U.S. take the polar route to reach India, which means crossing Russian air space, and you know the problems involved. Due to these restrictions, flights will have to take a much longer route. Not all aircraft are designed to carry the amount of fuel required for such a long journey,” the official explained.