Russian authorities suspended Lufthansa Cargo's right to fly over Russia. An LHC spokesperson said that "since Oct. 28 midnight, we have no traffic rights any more to fly via Russian territory." The change affects 49 weekly flights between Frankfurt and Astana, where LHC has established a hub for its network to the Far East. "We have installed an emergency schedule. Each flight to or from Astana has to be diverted around Russia. That takes an additional 90 minutes flying time, up to three hours for a roundtrip," the spokesperson said. LHC does not have any estimate of the financial impact.

The reason for the suspension is under investigation. "We have a regular procedure in our application to Russian authorities to extend our traffic rights. But this time, the Russians refused this formal procedure," LHC said. One possibility could be the quarrel over high Russian overflight fees. According to the Assn. of European Airlines, in 2006 the continent's carriers paid nearly EUR300 million in Russian overflight fees. Meanwhile, talks are scheduled between the German government and the Russian Ministry of Transport. "We hope that a solution will be found as soon as possible," the LHC spokesperson said.