Canada and Russia battle for airspace = = = = Tuesday November 4, 4:26 PM EST = By Jonathan Ratner TORONTO, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Canada and Russia have entered a Cold War styl= e battle over airspace, forcing planes from both countries to take longer= routes to reach some long-haul destinations, officials said on Tuesday. The feud began in September, when Russia refused Canada's national carrie= r, Air Canada (AC), access to its airspace for new daily nonstop flights = to New Delhi. Canada retaliated by banning Russia's national carrier, Aeroflot, from us= ing Canadian airspace for its overflights and then ordering Aeroflot to c= ut the number of its flights from Moscow to Toronto to two a week from fo= ur. "Canada remains committed to resolving this issue and restoring full air = service to the Canadian traveling public and business interests," said Pa= mela Greenwell, a spokeswoman for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs.= = But talks between the two sides in Montreal had not yet made any headway,= she said. The issue centers on whether flights to India should be covered under a d= eal that lets Canadian planes fly through Russian airspace on their way t= o the Asia-Pacific region. But Canadian media also point out that Aeroflot (AFLT) fears it will lose= business between Canada and India as passengers who previously took an A= eroflot flight via Moscow switch to a more direct routing. Air Canada said its flights to New Delhi will take an extra hour because = of the longer route, while flights from Vancouver to Beijing will take an= extra 1-1/2 hours. Air Canada spokeswoman Laura Cooke said the extra fuel needed for longer = flights would force both airlines to decrease the number of passengers or= reduce cargo loads. "If there is a payload restriction, (this) also has revenue implications,= " she said. "We remain hopeful that there will be a timely conclusion." = =A92003 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS