The US Department of Transportation plans to prohibit Chinese airlines from flying over Russian airspace on routes to and from the United States, sparking heated confrontation between the Chinese and US aviation industries. Six major Chinese airlines have jointly opposed the move, stating that it would significantly increase flight time and costs and impact passenger rights. Meanwhile, US airlines are calling for the ban to be extended to include Cathay Pacific and other Hong Kong-based airlines in order to maintain fair market competition.
According to CNN on the 15th, the US Department of Transportation last week proposed to ban Chinese airlines from flying over Russian airspace on routes between China and the US, claiming the shorter flight times put US airlines at a disadvantage.
Six major Chinese airlines, including China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, have submitted documents to the US Department of Transportation. China Eastern pointed out that banning flights over Russian airspace would extend flight times on China-US routes by 2 to 3 hours, significantly increasing fuel consumption and operational costs. China Southern estimated that at least 2,800 already-booked travelers would be affected during the holiday peak between November 1 and December 31 this year alone.
In addition, United Airlines urged the Trump administration to extend the ban to Cathay Pacific and other Hong Kong airlines, emphasizing that restrictions on Russian airspace have effectively prevented US airlines from resuming direct flights from New York and Chicago to China.
● Chinese Airlines Not Sanctioned, Gain Market Competitive Advantage
Currently, Russia continues to close its airspace to US and several other countries’ airlines in retaliation for Washington’s March 2022 ban on Russian flights over the US following the Russia-Ukraine war. Chinese airlines are not subject to this ban, giving them a competitive market advantage.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the 10th that such restrictions are detrimental to people-to-people exchanges, while the US airline association supports the Department of Transportation’s proposal and urges the department to continue "ensuring passenger capacity is reasonably aligned with market demand, and maintaining parity between the number of available passenger flights operated by US and Chinese airlines."