- US airlines and unions have urged the Biden administration to stop approving new Chinese flights.
- Chinese passenger airlines double the number of weekly round-trip flights to the US from 35 to 50.
- Chinese airlines benefit from continuing to access Russian airspace.
Citing continuous anti-competitive tactics of the Chinese government, major US airlines, and aviation unions have urged the Biden administration to stop approving new flights between China and the US.
The US Transportation Department recommended that Chinese passenger airlines double the number of weekly round-trip flights to the US from the current 35 to 50 beginning on March 31.
US airlines
Although US carriers are permitted to operate 50 weekly flights, they are not currently operating all of those flights. Chinese airlines benefit from continuing to access Russian airspace, whereas US carriers stopped doing so at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, according to a trade group called Airlines for America, which is made up of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
The Allied Pilots Association, the Air Line Pilots Association, and the Association of Flight Attendants have signed a letter requesting that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg cancel any further passenger flights between the US and China until US businesses and workers are assured equal market access and are not subject to detrimental anti-competitive policies.
In addition, the letter asked the Biden administration to hold off on approving new flights until after China complies with the terms of their current bilateral agreement and traveler demand starts to increase once again.
