Question by Desperate4YAnswers: Why don’t flights from Moscow to US go via the Arctic though it is a shorter route?
Flights from Moscow to Toronto/US can also go through the Arctic and save a lot on fuels as well. So, why do they don’t go?
Also, why do flights generally don’t go to Arctic or Antarctica?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Vaibhav
Maybe because of the extreme cold conditions and rough weather conditions which makes life for pilots difficult and also emergency landing maybe a problem..
Thats what I think, Keeping human life safe is more important than keeping fuel reserves safe..
thats my view..
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Techwing says
Flights from Moscow don't need to go over the Arctic. The shortest routes take them over Greenland. For Los Angeles, the great-circle route takes the flight over northern Greenland; for New York, it's the southern tip of Greenland.
The only routes that would truly take a flight near the North Pole are those to Alaska, and as far as I know, there are no direct flights between Moscow and cities in Alaska.
Neil says
Why don't they? Well, they do.
The Shadow says
Some flights are routed over the Arctic. Transpacific flights from the US East Coast to Asia are routed over parts of the Arctic.
As for Moscow, routes are based on several factors.
One is distance. All other things equal, a shorter distance means less fuel burn. However, they also have to consider winds and alternate airports. A longer route with more favorable winds may require less fuel and travel time than a shorter route with unfavorable winds.
Also, many transatlantic flights are operated with two-engine aircraft. Safety regulations require that there have to be suitable alternate airports available in case of an emergency. Consequently, routes over very remote areas may be unusable.
Finally, there is the issue of restricted airspace. Commercial flights may be unable to use certain routes because governments don't permit overflights of certain areas. For years, airlines had to use longer routes over the Pacific because Russia didn't permit commercial aircraft to fly through some of their airspace.
Tiffany D says
Dangerous weather conditions I would imagine. No place to land or refuel if there is an issue with the plane, etc.
And really, the only people who seem to go to the Arctic/Antarctica are researchers and scientists. Why would commercial flights need to go there?