Cathay Pacific has announced plans to resume using Russian airspace on its longest routes. Starting November 1st, Cathay will use the polar route to New York, overflying Siberia to cut down flight time and remove payload restrictions. The decision will remove over two hours of flight time and comes at a time when Western airlines still remain away from Russian skies.

The usual 15-hour journey has now been stretched up to upward of 17 hours since flights now have to cross the Pacific instead of overflying the pole, once Russia this year closed its airspace to European and U.S. airlines, forcing some long-haul flights to Asia to take longer routes. Starting November 1st, Cathay is returning to the usual polar route, cutting flight times by nearly two hours from New York to Hong Kong and over an hour on the way back.