US plans to ban Chinese airlines from using Russian airspace

The US administration has reportedly proposed banning Chinese airlines from conducting flights to and from the US using Russian airspace.

According to a document obtained by the Reuters news agency, the US Department of Transportation has prepared a draft order to this effect.

In response to sanctions, Russia banned American airlines from using its airspace in March 2022.

While Moscow imposed similar restrictions on approximately 40 countries, China was not among them.

This situation gave Chinese airlines an advantage, allowing them to reduce flight times and fuel costs by using polar routes over Russia.

The Department stated that the proposed new ban would eliminate this disparity.

The ban aims to ‘address competitive inequality’

If the ban is approved, companies such as Air China, China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines, and China Southern are expected to see their US flights affected.

The US Department of Transportation announced that the decision could take effect next month. Until then, Washington had granted additional flight permits to some Chinese companies on the condition that they do not use Russian airspace.

Last year, the US Department of Transportation announced that Chinese passenger airlines could increase their number of weekly flights to the US to 50.

Before the restrictions imposed at the beginning of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were over 150 weekly flights between the two countries.

US companies have long complained

American airline companies have long maintained that they have lost their competitive edge due to the ban on transiting Russian airspace.

According to The New York Times, US companies initiated intense lobbying efforts with the White House and Congress on this issue in 2023.

Russia’s ban has negatively affected not only US companies’ flights to China but also their flights to other destinations in East and Southeast Asia.

Airlines were forced to reroute their trans-Pacific routes and identify alternative landing points for emergencies.

Additionally, passenger and cargo capacities on aircraft were reduced to save fuel on long-haul flights.

The launch of dozens of new routes planned for cities such as Mumbai, Tokyo, and Seoul was also postponed.

Ukraine condition for direct flights

Amid these developments, ongoing discussions between Russia and the US regarding Ukraine continue.

Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, had stated that direct flights between the two countries could resume by the end of 2025.

However, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated that Moscow demanded the lifting of sanctions against its airline, Aeroflot, for this to happen.

Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, however, stated that Washington has conditioned the resumption of direct flights on progress in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.