US Airlines Oppose Air China Flight Expansion for Leaders' Meeting

Airlines for America, the industry group representing major U.S. carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, formally opposed a request by Air China to schedule additional flights from Beijing to New York and Washington. The flights are intended to facilitate a planned meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump.

U.S. airlines argue that Chinese carriers maintain an unfair advantage because they can access Russian airspace, while U.S. carriers remain barred from that airspace by Russia in retaliation for sanctions following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The industry group contends that these specific trips should be classified as charter flights rather than scheduled flights to prevent Air China from using the event to seek further regular flight expansions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation previously proposed banning Chinese airlines from using Russian airspace to level the competitive field. However, that plan was shelved due to opposition from other government agencies prior to trade talks.