Washington, DC, Sept. 21 – Major US airlines oppose Air China bid to schedule additional US flights from Beijing to New York and Washington, according to Airlines for America, representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. The request aligns with President Xi Jinping’s planned meeting with President Donald Trump. Industry representatives argue the extra services would worsen an already uneven competitive field on transpacific routes. They note Chinese carriers can use Russian airspace while US airlines remain barred from those shorter paths.
Airlines for America stated that US carriers are effectively banned from flying the US east coast to China because they cannot access Russian airspace, whereas Chinese airlines enjoy that routing on some US flights. The group said Chinese carriers therefore operate shorter, less costly, and more economical routings between China and the United States. Russia closed its airspace to US airlines after Washington banned Russian flights over America following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, yet Chinese airlines were never restricted.
Two additional flights were sought for this week and next week. US airlines warned that approving them as scheduled services could let Chinese carriers later seek more regular flights and insisted the trips should instead be treated as charter operations. In October 2025, the US Transportation Department proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on US routes because the time and fuel savings put American carriers at a disadvantage, but other agencies opposed the idea and the plan was shelved before trade talks.
USDOT and Air China’s US counsel offered no immediate comment. US airlines have long criticized the policy that lets Chinese carriers exploit Russian airspace, enabling lower costs and growing market share against non-Chinese operators on international routes. The dispute underscores persistent tension over reciprocal aviation access between the two countries.