Newly approved US flights by Chinese airline

2/6/2023 6:17

        Chinese airlines are
        avoiding flying over Russian airspace in newly approved flights
        to and from the United States, according to flight tracking
        website FlightAware and industry officials.
        
        Russia has barred U.S. airlines and 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.
        
        FlightAware records show Chinese flights recently approved
        by Washington are not flying over Russia, while previously
        approved Chinese airline U.S. flights are still using Russian
        airspace.
        
        On May 3, the U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said it
        would allow Chinese airlines to increase U.S. passenger services
        to 12 weekly round-trips, equal to the number of flights Beijing
        has permitted for American carriers. Previously, only eight
        weekly flights by Chinese carriers were allowed.
        
        USDOT Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International
        Affairs Annie Petsonk declined to answer a question about
        whether the Biden administration had required that the Chinese
        carriers avoid Russian airspace as a condition of approving four
        new flights.
        
        Petsonk said the gradual rise to 12 flights for China
        and the United States "is the kind of measured pace that we are
        likely to see". The 12 weekly flights are a small fraction of
        the more than 150 round-trip flights allowed by each side before
        restrictions were imposed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19
        pandemic.
        
        "There is certainly great interest on both sides in
        moving forward," Petsonk added.
        
        On May 18, USDOT approved a new weekly Air China
        flight from Beijing to New York, a new weekly China Eastern
        Shanghai Los Angeles flight, a third weekly Xiamen
        Airlines flight from Xiamen to Los Angeles and second weekly
        China Southern flight from Guangzhou to Los Angeles.
        The Xiamen and China Southern flights were both effective May
        30.
        
        The Chinese carriers could not immediately be reached. The
        Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.
        
        In February, two U.S. senators urged the Biden
        administration to halt Chinese airlines from flying over Russia
        on U.S. routes, which gives them an advantage in fuel burn and
        flying time. At the time, Airlines for America, which represents
        major U.S. carriers, praised the senators' push, noting
        longstanding industry concerns about flying over Russia.