Chinese airlines protest US plan to ban their flights over Russian
airspace
[October 15, 2025] By
CHAN HO-HIM
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s biggest state-owned air carriers have hit back
at a U.S. proposal to bar them from flying over Russia when traveling to
or from the U.S.
The U.S. side has said such flights give Chinese airlines an unfair cost
advantage over American carriers, which cannot cross through Russian
airspace. Moscow closed Russian airspace to U.S. air carriers and most
European airlines in 2022 in response to Western sanctions for Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine.
Air China, China Eastern and China Southern are among six Chinese
airlines filing complaints over the order proposed last week to prohibit
such flights by Chinese carriers.
China Eastern said in its filing this week to the U.S. Department of
Transport that the proposed ban would “harm the public interest" and
"inconvenience travelers” from both China and the U.S. The additional
flight time would result in higher costs and elevated air fares, which
increases the burden on all travelers, it said.
China Southern warned that a Russian airspace ban would adversely affect
thousands of travelers. Air China said it estimates at least 4,400
passengers would be affected if the ban takes effect during the
Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
Last week, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun also hit
back at the proposed ban, saying the move would be “punishing”
passengers around the world.
David Yu, an aviation industry expert at New York University Shanghai,
said that U.S. carriers' inability to fly over Russian airspace has
increased flight paths for some U.S.-China routes by roughly two to
three hours. Longer journeys require more fuel and pressure U.S.
carriers’ profitability.
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Passengers walk past a couple browsing their smartphones near a
China Southern Airlines, parked on the tarmac at the Beijing Capital
International Airport Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016.(AP Photo/Andy Wong,
File)
 “The U.S.-China route historically
has been a money-maker for airlines on both sides,” Yu said. “From
the Chinese carriers’ perspective, if you can go through Russia,
your costs go down.”
Despite that, Chinese carriers have struggled with losses,
especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said in its proposed order
that Chinese carriers' ability to cross Russian airspace has caused
“competitive imbalances” between American and Chinese airlines.
“Being able to use the most efficient route provides a competitive
advantage because it usually results in the shortest flight time
duration, thereby offering a more appealing option to travelers,”
the department said last week.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said it would consider public
comments before finalizing the plan.
European airlines including Air France-KLM have also complained.
In a filing to the Department of Transportation, United Airlines
urged that Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific, which is not
included in the list of Chinese airlines, also be subject to the
ban.
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