Trump proposes barring Chinese airlines flying over Russia on US flights

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Thursday proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on flights to and from the United States, saying the practice puts American carriers at a disadvantage.

U.S. airlines have long criticized the decision to allow Chinese carriers to use Russian airspace on some flights because it gives them the advantage of decreased flying time and burns less fuel, lowering costs.

The U.S. Transportation Department said on Thursday in its proposed order "this imbalance has become a significant competitive factor."

The Transportation Department said it was proposing to bar Chinese overflights "to level this competitive disparity amongst U.S. and Chinese air carriers," saying the current situation was "unfair and has resulted in substantial adverse competitive effects on U.S. air carriers."

The Chinese embassy in Washington and Airlines for America, a major trade group representing carriers American Airlines AAL.O, Delta Air Lines DAL.N and United Airlines UAL.O that all fly to China, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

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

The decision could impact some U.S. flights operated by Air China 601111.SS, China Eastern 600115.SS, Xiamen Airlines and China Southern 600029.SS.

The push comes amid growing tension between China and the United States over a series of economic issues.

Boeing BA.N is in talks to sell as many as 500 jets to China, which would represent a major breakthrough for the company in the world's second-largest aviation market, where orders have stalled amid U.S.-China trade tensions.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to hold a face-to-face meeting in South Korea at the end of October.

The Transportation Department is giving Chinese carriers two days to respond to the proposed order and said a final order could be in effect as soon as November.

In May 2023, the United States approved additional flights by Chinese carriers after they agreed not to fly over Russia on new flights, Reuters reported.

Last year, the Transportation Department said Chinese passenger airlines could boost weekly round-trip U.S. flights to 50 but opted not to add more flights after pressure from U.S. unions and airlines. More than 150 weekly round-trip passenger flights were allowed by each side before restrictions were imposed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some U.S. carriers have told the Trump administration that direct East Coast flights to China are not economically feasible because of the added expense of not flying over Russia. In some cases, carriers must leave some seats open and reduce cargo because of the increased flight length.