US Airlines Seek Halt to More China Flights Over Russia Routes

Chris Sununu, head of Airlines for America—which represents American Airlines, United, Delta and others—told Reuters he urged Trump administration officials to reject Air China’s request for more scheduled U.S.-China flights. He said Chinese carriers can fly through Russian airspace on some routes while U.S. airlines cannot, adding: “It’s not just a minor thing. It’s a huge cost to the airlines to have to go around Russia” and “It’s imbalanced. It’s unfair.” The pushback followed Xi Jinping’s Thursday proposal in Washington that the two sides increase direct flights to facilitate travel and trade. Each side is now capped at about 50 weekly round-trips, up from 12 in August 2023 but far below the pre-2020 level of more than 150. The routing gap stems from the March 2022 U.S. ban on Russian aircraft and Russia’s reciprocal ban on U.S. carriers. Airlines for America formally opposed Air China’s recent request. The White House did not immediately comment.