Washington Plans New Restrictions On Chinese Airlines

The Trump administration has proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying through Russian airspace on routes to and from the U.S., arguing the practice gives them a competitive edge over American carriers that have been barred from those routes since 2022.

In an order issued on Oct. 9, the U.S. Transport Department (DOT) said it would amend the operating authorities of seven Chinese airlines— Air China, Beijing Capital Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines—to prohibit them from using Russian airspace for U.S.-China flights.

“The public interest calls for amendment of all Department authority held by the foreign air carriers of China… to prohibit them from the use of Russian airspace,” the DOT said. The department called the current situation “unfair” and said it “has resulted in substantial adverse competitive effects on U.S. air carriers.”

Russia barred U.S. and most other Western airlines from its airspace in 2022 in response to sanctions imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Chinese carriers were not affected and have continued flying over Russia, reducing flight times and fuel costs on routes such as Beijing-New York and Shanghai-Los Angeles.

The DOT said this disparity violates Article 2(4) of the U.S.-China Civil Air Transport Agreement, which requires both sides’ airlines to use routes “available to the airlines of both parties.”

The proposed restriction would take effect 30 days after a final order is issued and would not apply to all-cargo operators such as Air China Cargo or SF Airlines, which the DOT said face “a distinctly different competitive playing field.”

The move marks another escalation in U.S.-China tensions and comes the same week Beijing tightened export controls on rare earth minerals. U.S. President Donald Trump recently extended a temporary trade truce with China until November, postponing new tariffs but keeping existing duties in place. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet with Trump later this month to discuss the strained economic ties.

Aviation links between the U.S. and mainland China remain limited compared with pre-pandemic levels. Chinese airlines currently operate 50X-weekly roundtrips to the U.S., while American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines operate a combined 48 flights per week to China, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data. Total nonstop capacity stands at about 59,000 weekly seats—less than one-third of 2019 levels.