Key facts
- Airlines for America opposes increasing direct flights between the US and China.
- CEO Chris Sununu stated US carriers are at a disadvantage because Chinese airlines can overfly Russia on eight flights.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed increasing direct flights between the two countries.
- Currently, the US and China each operate about 50 round-trip flights per week.
Airlines for America, representing major US carriers, opposes increasing direct flights from China to the United States, according to its CEO Chris Sununu. Sununu stated that US airlines are significantly disadvantaged because Chinese counterparts are permitted to overfly Russia on eight flights, a route US carriers cannot use due to airspace bans. Chinese President Xi Jinping, however, raised the idea of increasing direct flights between the two nations during an event in Washington. Currently, both the US and China can operate approximately 50 round-trip flights per week. The industry group had previously opposed Air China's request for more flights, highlighting the imbalance. The US banned Russian flights from its airspace in March 2022, prompting Russia to reciprocate, preventing US carriers from overflying the country. A US Transportation Department proposal in October 2025 to ban Chinese airlines from overflying Russia on US routes was shelved.