Why Xi’s flight from China to the US was hours faster than Trump’s in May

At a private tea session in the White House's Red Room, US President Donald Trump marveled at how quickly Chinese leader Xi Jinping had returned from his state visit, remarking on the speed of his flight. Xi explained that the time was due to the route taken, which included passing through Russia, Alaska, and Canada. Trump agreed, noting the efficiency of the journey.

The tea session and a tour of American founding documents at the National Archives concluded Xi's three-day state visit to the United States, which mirrored Trump's trip to Beijing in May. Flightradar24 data showed Xi's aircraft landed in America around 5.40pm local time, after a 13½-hour flight from Beijing. In contrast, Trump's return flight from Beijing took nearly 16 hours.

Chinese carriers can utilize a shorter route via Russian airspace for eight weekly round-trip flights to the US, while US carriers must circumvent Russian airspace due to Russia's ban in response to the Russia-Ukraine war, adding hours to their flights. Xi's aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, returned via the same route, taking around 15 hours.

The Russian airspace ban has impacted the US civil aviation industry, causing concern over the imbalanced costs and reduced efficiency.