U.S. airlines and aviation unions have united in urging the Biden administration to halt the approval of further flights between China and the United States.
Their primary concern revolves around what they perceive as the Chinese government’s “anti-competitive policies.”
This call comes as the U.S. Transportation Department announced in February an increase in weekly round-trip flights between the two countries, allowing Chinese passenger airlines to raise their flights to 50 per week from March 31.
U.S. carriers, although authorized for the same number of flights, are not currently utilizing their full quota.
In a joint letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Airlines for America and leading aviation unions, including the Air Line Pilots Association and Association of Flight Attendants, emphasized the advantage Chinese airlines maintain by accessing Russian airspace.
This advantage persists while U.S. carriers cease flying through Russian airspace at the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.
The letter underscores the need to halt additional passenger flights until U.S. workers and businesses are assured equality of access in the Chinese marketplace.
This request aligns with concerns raised by U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, who chair the House Select Committee on China.
They urged the Biden administration to refrain from approving more flights until China adheres to existing bilateral agreements and passenger demand rebounds.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 150 weekly round-trip passenger flights were permitted between China and the United States. However, restrictions imposed in early 2020 limited each side to 12 flights per week until August 2023, when the number increased gradually.
Despite the recent increase in approved flights, concerns remain regarding fairness, competition, and security risks associated with airspace access.
