Chinese airlines are now rerouting their flights to and from the United States to avoid Russian airspace, as per flight tracking website FlightAware and industry sources.
In retaliation for the United States banning Russian flights over its airspace in March 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia had previously prohibited U.S. and other foreign carriers from flying over its territory.
FlightAware data indicates that recently approved Chinese flights by the U.S. government are bypassing Russian airspace, while previously authorized Chinese airline flights still utilize the Russian route.
On May 3, the U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) announced an increase in the number of weekly round-trip passenger services allowed for Chinese airlines, permitting them to operate 12 flights per week. This aligns with the number of flights Beijing allows for American carriers, whereas only eight weekly flights were permitted previously for Chinese carriers. Photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, Wikimedia commons.
