What Happened
American Carriers Argue Unequal Access to Russian Airspace
Major US airlines are opposing Air China’s request for two additional roundtrip flights between Beijing and New York and Washington, citing unequal access to Russian airspace as a significant advantage for Chinese carriers. The flights are associated with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned US visit, and Airlines for America wants them treated as charters to avoid setting a precedent for more regular flights. The dispute centers on the economics of flying between China and the US East Coast, with Russian airspace providing shorter routes for Chinese-operated flights. This was first reported by AeroTime.