Airline alliance SkyTeam has temporarily suspended the membership of Russian carrier Aeroflot in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine and the corresponding sanctions regime. In a brief statement, SkyTeam says the action was agreed with Aeroflot and that it is "working to limit the impact for customers and will inform those affected by any changes to SkyTeam benefits and services". Although mostly symbolic, the move further isolates Russia from the rest of the world, with connections to Western countries having been severed by the impact of sanctions and airspace closures. Even airlines from countries that have not sanctioned Russia have frequently had to cease operations to the country because their insurance, issued in Europe or the US, has been invalidated by sanctions. Meanwhile the commandeering of Western-owned aircraft leased by Russian carriers means that Aeroflot and other airlines based in the country have increasingly become domestic-only operators. Aeroflot joined SkyTeam in 2006, becoming the first Russian carrier to join an airline alliance. It's removal follows the suspension of fellow Russian carrier S7 from Oneworld earlier this month and leaves no Russian carrier with membership of an alliance.

Air China reported an operating loss of CNY10.5 billion ($1.6 billion) in the first quarter, increasing from the CNY8.65 billion loss reported in 2020. Revenue fell 11% to CNY12.9 billion, the group says in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Net loss attributable to shareholders widened to CNY8.9 billion from the loss of CNY6.2 billion loss mainly due to the “combined effects of the domestic sporadic outbreak of the pandemic and the rising aviation fuel price”. Operating costs remained flat at CNY23.1 billion. As on 31 March, the carrier had a cash and cash equivalents of CNY11.2 billion versus CNY15.9 billion at the start of the quarter.

Ukrainian carrier SkyUp is seeking to obtain an European Union air operators certificate and open offices in the bloc as it reveals it has incurred $500 million of lost revenues due to the Russian invasion. The airline says it is working to obtain permission for it to operate in Europe while it and its sister tour operator Join Up are seeking to open offices in Europe, SkyUp says in a LinkedIn post. SkyUp has provided its aircraft to the market on a wet-lease basis, started operating evacuation and humanitarian aid flights, and conducted air cargo services since the start of the war with Russia. In an interview with Forbes that was shared by the airline, SkyUp co-founder Oleksandr Alba says that the company is hoping to gain an EU licence by the end of July which would enable it to overcome European airspace restrictions. In March, the airline said it was making its fleet of 15 Boeing 737s available for wet-leasing. The aircraft had been pulled out of Ukraine ahead of the conflict.