"Sanctions as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis are taking their toll," Tyler told journalists at an IATA summit in Miami, Florida, about the state of the European aviation market.
Tyler explained that other challenges to air transportation in Europe include high taxes, onerous regulation and faltering economies.
Overall, European aviation market players are seeing "improved, but still weak profitability," Tyler concluded.
The European Union, the United Stated and some of their allies introduced several rounds of economic sanctions against Russia in 2014 over Moscow's alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Russia denies having any role in the Ukrainian conflict and has repeatedly called for a political resolution to the hostilities in the country.