American carriers allegedly face an \u201cunfair\u201d disadvantage, as Russian airspace is closed to them but open to Chinese companies<\/p>\n
The administration of US President Donald Trump has proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on routes to and from America, Reuters reported on Friday. The US Transportation Department said using Russian airspace gives Chinese carriers an unfair competitive edge.
\nRussia barred many Western airlines from its airspace in 2022 after Western nations closed their skies to Russian flights amid the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The move forced non-Russian carriers to reroute around Russian territory, adding both time and cost to transcontinental flights. China, however, has faced no such restrictions.
\nIn its proposal, the Transportation Department stated that the situation was \u201cunfair and has resulted in substantial adverse competitive effects on US air carriers.\u201d It reportedly gave Chinese airlines two days to respond, with a final decision expected as early as November.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
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According to the agency, the proposal could affect flights operated by Air China, China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines, and China Southern. The move reportedly targets only passenger flights and will not apply to cargo operations.
\nNeither China\u2019s aviation regulator nor its embassy in Washington commented on the report. Some US carriers reportedly oppose the measure, warning that avoiding Russian airspace would make direct flights to China less viable due to higher costs and reduced cargo capacity.
\nShares of China\u2019s three largest airlines dipped slightly after the report, with Air China and China Southern both down 1.3%, and China Eastern 0.9% by mid-day Friday.
\nThe move comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing over Trump\u2019s trade policy. He has threatened new tariffs over China\u2019s ties with Moscow, accusing Beijing of \u201cfunding\u201d the Ukraine conflict through energy imports. China dismissed the claims as \u201cunacceptable,\u201d insisting its trade with Russia is \u201clegitimate and lawful.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Russia proposes resuming direct flights with US<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Kremlin aide Kirill Dmitriev recently said US-Russia air travel could resume by late 2025. The issue has been discussed amid Ukraine peace efforts mediated by the US. In August, Russian Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev confirmed that the process of restoring flights between the two countries was already \u201cunderway.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
American carriers allegedly face an \u201cunfair\u201d disadvantage, as Russian airspace is closed to them but open to Chinese companies The administration of US President Donald Trump has proposed banning Chinese…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t