US airlines object to Air China’s additional US flights

A group representing major US airlines said it opposes Air China’s bid to add flights from Beijing to New York and Washington ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and other major US carriers, opposed the request, saying US airlines are effectively barred from flying from the US East Coast to China because they cannot use Russian airspace, while Chinese carriers can use it on some US routes.

Two flights were requested for this week and next week, but US airlines argued that adding them to the schedule could allow Chinese carriers to seek additional regular flights. They said the flights should instead be classified as charters.

In October 2025, the US Transportation Department proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on routes to and from the United States, saying the shorter flight times give Chinese carriers an advantage over US airlines.

However, the proposal faced opposition from other US agencies and was shelved ahead of trade talks with China. The US Department of Transportation and a US lawyer representing Air China did not immediately comment, Reuters reported.

US airlines have long criticised the decision to allow Chinese carriers to use Russian airspace on US routes, arguing that it gives them an advantage by reducing flight times and fuel consumption, thereby lowering operating costs.

In its filing, the airline group said Chinese carriers have “shorter, less costly and more economical routings” on flights between China and the United States. Russia barred US airlines and many other foreign carriers from its airspace in retaliation after Washington banned Russian flights from US airspace in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chinese airlines were not included in the ban and have been able to use Russian airspace, giving them a cost and flight-time advantage over non-Chinese carriers on international routes.