Airspace Closures
The New Europe–Asia Corridors
Status: Routings shift with each change in regional airspace. Described as of October 2026. Airspace rules change at short notice. Always check with your airline before travelling.
Picture the skies between Europe and Asia as a busy road network. For years, airlines had several big motorways to choose from. Now, for many of them, two of the biggest, over Russia and over Iran, are closed. That leaves a few narrow back roads carrying traffic they were never designed for.
The three ways round
Airlines that can’t fly over Russia (see Russia’s airspace closure) have three main options between Europe and East or South Asia:
- The southern route through the Middle East, now heavily restricted (see Middle East airspace in 2026).
- The Caucasus and Central Asia route, across Turkey, through the gap over Georgia and Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea and over Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan.
- The polar route over the Arctic, used by Finnair to reach Japan and Korea.
The sequence
A typical Europe–Asia routing in 2026
Western Europe
StartDeparture from London, Paris or Frankfurt
Turkey
Leg 1Southeast across the Balkans and Turkey
The Ganja gap
Pinch pointThrough a narrow strip over Georgia and northern Azerbaijan
Caspian & Central Asia
Leg 3Across the Caspian, then Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan
East Asia
ArriveOn to China, Korea or Japan
The Ganja Pass
The tightest point is a narrow corridor over the border region of Georgia and Azerbaijan, near the Azerbaijani city of Ganja, which is why it’s nicknamed the Ganja Pass. It’s one of the few ways across the region that avoids both Russian and Iranian airspace.
In 2026 the squeeze tightened further. Azerbaijan temporarily closed the southern sector of its airspace, funnelling international flights into a strip across the north of the country roughly 100 kilometres wide. Huge numbers of flights between Europe and Asia now pass through that gap, and when demand is high, controllers have to space aircraft out, which can mean delays or longer routings.
Central Asia’s new importance
Beyond the Caspian Sea, the routes cross the vast airspace of Central Asia. Countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have become vital to Europe–Asia aviation, earning overflight fees and attracting new air connections. The same geography is reviving the Middle Corridor, the trade route linking China and Central Asia across the Caspian to the Caucasus, Turkey and Europe.
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Over the top of the world
The most dramatic workaround is the polar route. Instead of going east across Siberia, Finnair’s flights to Japan head north over Lapland and Svalbard, cross close to the North Pole, pass near Alaska and then turn south-west across the Pacific. It’s longer, about 13 hours to Tokyo instead of around 9, but it avoids every closed airspace on the way.
Polar flying brings its own requirements: aircraft must be equipped and crews trained for extreme cold, remote diversion airports and communications far from land, the same kind of planning behind ETOPS for long flights over oceans.
Sources & Further Reading
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ganja Pass?
An informal name for the narrow air corridor over the border area of Azerbaijan and Georgia, near the city of Ganja. It is one of the few routes between Europe and Asia that avoids both Russian and Iranian airspace.
Why is the corridor so narrow?
It is bounded by restricted or closed airspace on both sides. In 2026 Azerbaijan also temporarily closed the southern sector of its flight information region, leaving a strip roughly 100km wide across the north of the country for transit traffic.
Does congestion cause delays?
It can. When many flights need the same narrow corridor, air traffic controllers have to space them out, which can mean delays, longer routings or adjusted departure times.
Do all Europe–Asia flights use the corridor?
No. Airlines able to fly over Russia use shorter northern routes, and some airlines such as Finnair use polar routes over the Arctic. The corridor is mainly used by airlines that must avoid both Russia and Iran.
What is the Middle Corridor?
A trade and transport route linking China and Central Asia across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Europe. Its importance for cargo has grown alongside its role in aviation.