That Was The Week That Was 07-11 March 2022
Nationalism as the New Normal
Say what you like about Vladimir Putin, he has been good for nationalism as a force for change. Or a force for revision, anyway. Back to the future. Back we go back to the bad old days of sovereignty. The blocking of Siberian airspace to European and other carriers registered in states that oppose the current events in Ukraine takes us right back to the coldest parts of the Cold War. For the record, Aviation Advocacy is opposed to events in Ukraine too, so I fear that our Russian readers may not see this or will only see it in the form of a heading, followed by a blank page.
There are several ways in which this Cold War play plays out. First, of course, is the fact that airline operations departments must plan their routes in accordance with political reality as well as weather and other network requirements. This tweet helpfully lays out what will be required to change for airlines operating routes originally marketed in the timetable as going over the pole. So far, so programmable into the airlines’ route planning software.
But not content to merely add hours to Western airlines’ routings, and of course, tonnes to the amount of fuel uplifted and emissions produced, the Russians have played a trump card (yes, pun intended – at the moment, you take the gags where you find them). It has, Shane Warne style thrown up a real googly. Sorry for the cricket reference but the passing of a God needs to be noted. I will happily offer classes in why cricket is a gift to civilisation at any time, to any reader, but take it as read that sometimes, it was not clear what he was about to do, but it could be devastating.
It is one thing to make airlines go the long way around, but to then threaten them is genuinely just not cricket. Look at this statement from the Russian Foreign Affairs spokesperson:
We call on #EU & #NATO countries to stop the thoughtless flooding of the unviable #Kiev regime with the latest weapons systems in order to avoid enormous risk to intl civilian aviation & other means of transport in Europe & beyond.
Here is the entire tweet, if you are interested, but you will see that all I have left out is the photo of the spokeswoman. Let’s focus on the words. It is very difficult to categorise them as ‘passive aggressive’. Aggressive is the only term available.
Flooding Ukraine with the latest weapons systems is a risk to international aviation, apparently. How? Is the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warning States not to ship the latest weapon systems on scheduled services? Is it saying that the latest weapon systems are likely to shoot down civil aviation? You might think that is a bit edgy given that it was old-style BUK systems that last did such a thing. From the Russian side of the line. Or is it saying merely that Russia intends enforcing its airspace in a way that sees it use the outer edge of the line on the map as its guide?
There is another possible interpretation, but that is too evil to set down. Whatever the meaning, it is very disturbing.
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