Communism’s Fall Brings an Air-Travel Revolution : Trade: Craft flying between North America and Asia can use once-forbidden territory--Russian airspace.

The end of the Cold War is helping to revolutionize air travel between North America and Asia.

With the gradual opening up of the Russian Far East, and the easing of tension on the Sino-Russian border, airlines will shortly be flying over areas that were once militarily sensitive and off-limits to foreign aircraft.

Previously, planes flying from North America to Asian destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong had to skirt Russian territory.

The perils of going astray became deadly clear in 1983, when the Soviets shot down a South Korean airliner, killing all 269 people on board.

Airline executives say they are looking forward to shorter flights and millions of dollars in savings with the end of those circuitous routes planes once were forced to take to avoid restricted airspace.

“It’s almost momentous,” says Tony Laven, technical director of the Singapore office of the International Air Transport Assn. “This is of major importance to operators working the Asia-Pacific region.”

Gilbert Chow, Hong Kong manager of Northwest Airlines, said his company’s 10 1/2-hour Hong Kong-Seattle flight could be cut by as much as one hour when it starts using a new route on Tuesday.

Canadian Airlines recently made a test flight from Vancouver to Beijing and lopped two hours off what is usually a 13 1/2-hour flight, according to Richard Webb, the airline’s Hong Kong manager.

Other, smaller countries are becoming part of the new order in the skies, attracted in part by the revenue earned from airliners passing through their airspace.

Korean Air says it has cut its flying time to Rome from 13 hours to under 11 since a recently signed agreement with Mongolia. Even North Korea is overcoming its fears and considering opening its airspace, Laven said.

The opening up of air routes coincides with a new satellite-based air traffic control system for the region that Laven said would go into operation by the end of the year and would allow far more flights.

Airlines, anticipating millions of dollars in savings and new revenues, have invested in language training for Russian controllers to prepare them for a sharp increase in traffic.

With the economic rise of the Asia-Pacific region, air traffic has been growing at 9% to 11% annually.

The new airport in Osaka alone has boosted north Pacific traffic by 10% to 15% since it opened in that Japanese city last year, according to Laven.

Flights over the Russian Far East could increase from 15 a day to 40, Laven said.