The US aviation industry, symbolized by the three largest carriers in the country such as American Airlines, Delta, and United, has urged the Biden administration to suspend approving flights from China for some time. The letter, which was sent to Secretary of the State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, was signed by Airlines for America and aviation worker unions. They pointed out that the “harmful anti-competitive policies of the Chinese government” could adversely affect the aviation industry in the United States.
The letter stressed the seriousness of the situation that American airlines and workers were facing as a result of China’s aviation market growth. It was estimated that 315,000 workers were negatively impacted by the competitive disadvantage. It highlighted that the continued expansion of the Chinese aviation sector without any control could cause a significant reduction in flights of other US carriers with a subsequent loss of jobs and money to the American economy.
In spite of the fact that the US has just freed up Chinese airlines to greater direct passenger flights to the US, the letter emphasized the current problems of US carriers caused by the Chinese restricting market access policies. In 2022, these difficulties were further aggravated by Chinese airliners continuing to use Russian airspace while US airlines were forced to avoid it following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The delay and extra cost of flights caused by the bypassing of Russian airspace not only widens the competitive gap but also raises the cost. Letter emphasized the importance of the US government to create policies which will guarantee safety and wellbeing of US aviation employees, the profits of aviation industry, and the air travelers.
The China’s Foreign Ministry as answer stated that the agreement to increase direct flights was reached during a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden. The ministry underlined that the increase in flights would be a catalyst for human exchanges and intercultural understanding of the two countries.
