Do You Think Australians Should Cancel Their Europe Trips?

Travelling to Europe might be impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as airlines and tour operators may alter flight routes and itineraries due to safety concerns however, travelling to Western Europe is currently safe.

Australia has modified its travel advice for eastern Europe, although most European countries now accept fully vaccinated Australians.

A new “do not travel” warning has been issued for Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. However, the remainder of Europe’s travel advice has remained the same as before.

The European Union has largely restricted commercial flights to and from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, parts of Belarus, and other nations in the former Soviet Union.

However, despite the new travel advisories for the nations bordering Ukraine like Poland and Slovakia, flights to Romania and other eastern European countries are still operating as usual.

“Exercise a high degree of caution” has been issued to Australians travelling to Ukraine-bordering countries and Russia’s “periphery” (the same warning level as the rest of Europe due to COVID-19 risks).

NATO’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership ensures the Baltic States’ safety from Russian military intrusions to the west.

Lithuania and Moldova have also declared a state of emergency, following Poland’s lead. During the past year, Russian-led military exercises have been conducted in Poland along the Belarusian border, and the country’s non-nuclear status was overturned in a referendum that just took place.

Australian airlines Qantas and Singapore Airlines, and many others have been mostly unaffected by the war so far and are continuing to operate normally.

Qantas has already announced that it has changed its flight path to London to avoid flying through the northern region of Russia, which will increase the total flying time by an hour.

According to the airline’s spokeswoman, Singapore Airlines’ European operations are unaffected.

No Singapore Airlines flights are operated close or within Ukraine’s Russian-Ukrainian border area.” According to the statement, “We’re keeping a close eye on things and will make adjustments as necessary.”

Middle East airlines, including Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad, have cancelled flights to Ukraine and redirected services away from the war zone.

According to a statement from Qatar Airways, “The airline alters routes and adjusts schedules by all regulations, instructions, and safety measures, both internal and external.

The west is trying swiftly to isolate Russia both financially and physically, making it difficult to travel to Russia for some time to come.

According to the EU Aviation Safety Agency, no EU carrier can fly directly into the Russian, Ukrainian, Moldovan, or Belarusian airports.

Major tour companies and cruise lines have cancelled their Russian travel plans, in some cases for the entire year of 2022.