What determines flight paths? Fares, airspace and jet streams
- Getting from A to B doesn’t start with plotting the most direct path between two places
- Countries with large territories and strategic locations can use their airspace to earn revenue and strong-arm negotiations
If you think flying from A to B starts with plotting the most direct path between two places, think again. Security and political issues determine flight paths and ticket prices far more than considerations about an airline’s carbon footprint.
Pilots can’t just fly wherever they want. Apart from technical and practical matters, such as waypoints and the Earth’s natural jet streams, there are also political, legal and financial restrictions on airspace and flight paths.
Historical background
In 1944, the United States held a convention on international civil aviation in Chicago with clear objectives to coordinate and regulate international air travel. One of the main targets of the convention was to lift airspace restrictions for commercial flights, but the countries involved failed to reach a consensus and the initiative failed. Consequently, countries continue to set their own arbitrary rules on how to charge airlines for the use of their airspace.
Before 1990, Soviet-aligned countries restricted access to their airspace, forcing airlines to use longer routes and alternative stops to reach eastern Asia.
