Planned flights from Iceland to China, Japan and South Korea will not be happening any time soon, as Russia has still not granted Iceland permission to fly over their airspace.
Sources close to the Icelandic tourist industry website Turisti.is say the reason is likely because of the trade sanctions against Russia that Iceland is still participating in.
Talks between Russian and Icelandic authorities on the subject took place at the beginning of last summer, but there has been no definitive result from these discussions. Apart from the tensions over the trade sanctions, Russia has also asked that Icelandic flights fly to Russia for an undetermined period of time before Russia grants the green light to fly over their airspace.
Furthermore, flying over Russia can be expensive. Airlines are charged 7,000 to 10,000 ISK per passenger, each way, for the privilege.
There is, however, a work-around: Icelandair and WOW Air will begin flying to New Delhi, this autumn and this December, respectively. From there, travelers will be able to take connecting flights with other airlines to China, Japan and South Korea.
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