Major Chinese carriers oppose US plan to bar Russian airspace

Major Chinese carriers have formally opposed a U.S. Department of Transportation proposal to bar them from flying over Russian airspace on routes to and from the United States, saying the move would lengthen travel times, raise costs and disrupt thousands of passenger itineraries ahead of the holiday season. The filings came this week from Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan, Xiamen and Sichuan Airlines after the department proposed the restriction as a measure to address what it described as a competitive imbalance between U.S. and Chinese carriers.

The U.S. government says Chinese airlines have benefited from using Russian airspace on transpacific routes while most U.S. and European carriers have been unable to do so since Moscow closed its skies to those operators in 2022. In its proposed order the department said, "Being able to use the most efficient route provides a competitive advantage" because it typically yields the shortest flight time, making services more attractive to travelers.

Chinese carriers counter that the restriction would impose real costs on passengers and airlines. Air China estimated at least 4,400 of its ticketed passengers would be...