US airlines and senators are looking to even the field for non-stop travel between Asia and the United States. They propose to do this by effectively forcing foreign carriers still flying over Russian airspace not to do so and operate on the same routes as their American counterparts.

An unbalanced field

Since February 2022, carriers from much of the Western world and a few others have been banned from using Russian airspace. This has forced carriers to make lengthy detours and add extra miles on routes to Asia, while most Asian and Middle Eastern-based operators are still authorized to employ Russia’s airspace.

American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner N834AA
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

According to Airlines for America, this scenario has put US carriers at a competitive disadvantage. As reported by Reuters, The Loadstar, and The New York Times, US senators and the airline industry is lobbying for a ban on airlines willing to do business with Russia or forcing them to employ the same routes as their US counterparts.

In a statement sent to Simple Flying, Airlines For America said,

“Some foreign carriers being able to fly over Russian airspace puts US carriers at a direct competitive disadvantage. We applaud the outreach from Senators Menendez and Risch to Secretaries Blinken and Buttigieg. Their letter underscores our industry’s concerns regarding Russian overflights, and we echo the Senators’ call for the Administration to take action to ensure that foreign carriers overflying Russia do not depart, land, or transit through US airports.”

The New York Times compared two flights between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport and New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport, operated by Air India and American Airlines. Air India’s flight costs about $1,500 and lasts approximately 13 hours and 40 minutes. American Airlines’ flight costs $1,740 and lasts 14 hours and 55 minutes.

The letter

Last month, Senators Robert Menendez (a Democrat) and James Risch (a Republican) urged the Biden administration to ensure no commercial airline overflying Russian territory arrives or departs from a US airport.

Air China Boeing 787-9 being towed at the Frankfurt airport.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock

They also urged the administration to discourage US citizens and permanent residents from traveling on flights over Russian territory. According to The New York Times, this proposal appears to have gained traction with the Department of Transportation (DOT).

The DOT apparently has drafted an order that would ban Chinese carriers from flying passengers to the United States if they go through Russian airspace. The ban is currently under review, said the newspaper. Similar restrictions have been seen before, with the US blocking its airlines, and even codeshare services, from overflying territories such as Iraq. But restricting foreign carriers would be a whole new step.

A ban on Chinese carriers

Currently, four Chinese airlines operate flights between China and the United States. Air China flies from Beijing and Shenzhen to Los Angeles; China Southern Airlines flies from Guangzhou to New York and Los Angeles; Xiamen Airlines flies from Xiamen to Los Angeles; and China Eastern Airlines flies from Shanghai to New York. All of them cruise over Russian airspace.

All countries charge a fee to the airlines that employ their airspaces. Russia’s airspace tariff is widely known for being one of the most expensive in the world. Jetex estimates that the Russian Federation assesses overflight charges ranging from $63.6 for aircraft up to 50 metric tons to $115.5 for aircraft over 400 metric tons. However, the gains from this are massive, as seen in the reduction in flight time and hence fuel burned.

What do you think about this? Should the US Government ensure foreign carriers do not overfly Russia if they want to land in US airports? Let us know in the comments below.

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Source: The New York Times, The Loadstar, and Reuters.