Chinese airlines oppose Trump plan to stop flying over Russia on US routes

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (GWN) -Major Chinese airlines on Tuesday urged the Trump administration to abandon a plan to bar them from flying over Russia on U.S. flights, saying it could increase flight occasions, raise air fares and might disrupt some routes.

Last week the U.S. Transportation Department proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on routes to and from the United States, saying the decreased flight time places American carriers at a drawback.

China Eastern, one of six Chinese airlines that despatched letters, said in a submitting with USDOT that the transfer might prolong the flight time on some of its most important routes by two to three hours, considerably increase dangers of missed connections and enhance fuel consumption.

Air China and China Southern said the choice would adversely have an effect on a substantial quantity of passengers in the United States and China.

China Southern projected at least 2,800 passengers scheduled to journey during the height vacation season of November 1 to December 31 would need to be rebooked “jeopardizing their travel plans.”

Separately United Airlines urged the Trump administration to prolong the prohibition to Cathay Pacific, which flies over Russia on flights to the United States from Hong Kong and other Hong Kong-based carriers.

United says the Russia restrictions imply it’s “effectively barred from resuming non-stop China service on previously served routes such as Newark/New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.”

Russia has barred U.S. airlines and many other overseas carriers from flying over its airspace in retaliation for Washington banning Russian flights over the U.S. in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Chinese airlines weren’t banned and have been utilizing this benefit to increase market share in contrast to non-Chinese carriers on worldwide routes.

A spokesperson for China’s overseas ministry on Friday said the restrictions weren’t conducive to person-to-person exchanges.

Airlines for America, a major commerce group representing carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines praised the hassle but also called on USDOT to continue to “maintain parity in the number of passenger flights available to U.S. and Chinese airlines, by ensuring that the level of passenger capacity stays reasonably tied to marketplace demand.”

(Reporting by David Shepardson; modifying by Chris Sanders and Stephen Coates)