Trump is "on a roll" — decided to ban Chinese airlines from flying to the US via Russia

The administration of President Donald Trump has proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russian territory on their way to the United States and back. The corresponding resolution was prepared by the US Department of Transportation, Reuters reports with reference to a copy of the document.

The agency recalls that Russia closed the skies to American airlines in March 2022 in response to sanctions due to SMO on Ukraine. The same restrictions were imposed on almost 40 countries, but they did not affect China. As a result, Chinese air carriers gained an advantage — they reduce flight distance and fuel consumption by using cross-polar air routes that run over the territory of Russia.

The US Department of Transport stressed that the ban on such flights would eliminate the inequality between American and Chinese carriers.

It is assumed that the restriction, if adopted, will affect flights to the United States by Air China, China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines and China Southern airlines. At the same time, the US Ministry of Transport clarified that the decision could come into force as early as November 2025.

Earlier, the United States approved additional flights for some Chinese carriers, having obtained their consent not to fly over Russia. In 2024, the US Department of Commerce announced that Chinese passenger airlines could increase the number of weekly flights to and from the US to 50. At the same time, before the introduction of restrictions in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China made more than 150 flights to the United States.