Newly approved US flights by Chinese airline

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.