Chinese airlines flying between Amsterdam and China pay €4,000–€8,000 per flight in Russian air traffic control fees, totalling about €18 million a year, according to research by BNR. They also pay undisclosed royalties for airspace use.
Since EU carriers were banned from Russian airspace in 2022, airlines like KLM must take longer routes, while Chinese airlines continue to fly the shortest, cheapest routes via Russia, offering lower fares and shorter travel times.
Most travellers are unaware that their ticket purchases indirectly fund the Russian state.