Beijing had been pushing to equalize the number of weekly flights from both countries.
Beijing had pushed for an equal distribution of weekly flights between the two countries.
With the US transportation department permitting Chinese carriers to increase their number of weekly flights to 12, the US-China relationship has seen a minor thaw. The Russian situation has American carriers worried that they are at a disadvantage to Asian airlines. However, many people see the most recent decision as a positive step toward restoring stability to the political ties between the two nations.
Chinese airlines were permitted 12 weekly flights.
The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has approved Chinese airlines' request to raise the number of round trips they make to the US each week from eight to twelve.
As US carriers were already permitted to operate 12 weekly flights to China, officials in Beijing had proposed to equalize the number of weekly flights per side.
Since March, when COVID-related limitations were lifted, China has been permitting foreign tourists. According to the USDOT, this is the first step toward "a gradual, broader reopening of the U.S.-China air services market."
The dispute
The crisis in Ukraine, which made Russian airspace off-limits to US airlines but not to those of China and other Asian countries, is the origin of the long-running US-China aviation dispute.
Due to having to take a longer, more complicated path to reach Asian destinations, US airlines now have to pay more and take longer to complete their flights.
Additionally, this implies that carriers in countries like China and India, which still have access to Russian airspace, have a competitive advantage.
For instance, The New York Times last month contrasted two flights, one each from American Airlines and Air India, between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport. The flight from Air India is about $1,500 and takes 13 hours and 40 minutes. American Airlines' flight costs $1,740 and lasts 14 hours and 55 minute
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