The United States has announced that it will allow Chinese airlines to increase their services to America, providing a partial victory for the airlines in the face of ongoing geopolitical tension between the two countries.
The US Department of Transportation has permitted Chinese airlines to increase their number of weekly round-trip flights to 12, up from the current level of eight. The new limit matches the number permitted for US carriers by Chinese aviation authorities.
Steve Saxon, a partner at McKinsey who leads the consultancy’s travel practice in China, noted that flight capacity is still well below pre-Covid levels, with more than 150 round-trip flights allowed by each country before the pandemic. However, he said, there is strong demand for international travel from and to China, with people seeking to reunite with family members and businesses looking to visit suppliers and facilities.
Currently, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines fly routes between the US and China, while Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines serve both markets.
On Sunday, the Financial Times reported, citing unidentified sources, that US officials had offered to grant Chinese airlines the same number of weekly flights between both countries as American carriers, on the condition that they agree not to fly over Russia. The DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Last year, Russia sealed off its airspace to airlines from dozens of countries as its invasion of Ukraine started. As a result, many flights have been forced to reroute, making trips longer and more expensive. Chinese carriers have not been subject to the restrictions, as the relationship between Moscow and Beijing remains intact, leading to calls in the United States and Britain for bans on Chinese flights that use Russian airspace.
The United States’ decision to allow Chinese airlines to increase their services came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signaled a desire to stabilize relations with China. Blinken postponed his trip to China in February over a suspected Chinese spy balloon in the US but said that he hoped to reschedule his visit there this year.
Speaking at an event in Washington, Blinken told reporters that US President Joe Biden had discussed the importance of reestablishing regular communication “at all levels” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last year. “We’re in a competition with China; There’s no secret about that. But we have a strong interest in trying to make sure that that competition doesn’t veer into conflict,” Blinken said.
The Biden administration believes that “at the very least, we need to have a floor under this relationship,” he added.