{
  "id": 9656613,
  "title": "US airlines oppose China’s bid to add more flights",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/us-airlines-oppose-chinas-bid-to-add-more-flights-9656613",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-24T22:57:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2026/09/25/us-airlines-oppose-china-s-bid-to-add-more-flights"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The head of industry group Airlines for America, Chris Sununu, has stated that US airlines oppose China's bid to increase the number of direct flights between the two countries. Despite Chinese President Xi Jinping suggesting the expansion of flights during an event in Washington on Thursday, US carriers argue that it would be unfair and costly. Currently, both nations operate around 50 round-trip flights per week, a number that was highly restricted in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, each side could only fly 12 times weekly. Sununu emphasized the imbalance in the current situation, where Chinese carriers can overfly Russia for eight flights, an advantage US airlines do not have. He urged the Trump administration not to concede to China's request, fearing it would further disadvantage American airlines. In March 2022, the US banned Russian flights from its airspace following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting Russia to reciprocate by blocking US carriers from overflying the country. Despite a 2023 agreement with China that prevented additional flights from overflying Russia, a recent proposal to ban Chinese airlines from doing so was shelved due to opposition from other US agencies, just before trade talks with China.",
  "summary": "Airlines for America opposed Air China’s request for more flights, saying Chinese carriers have an unfair advantage by using Russian airspace while US airlines face costly detours.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Malaysia Airlines expands China network, digital partnerships",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/malaysia-airlines-expands-china-network-digital-partnerships",
        "published": "2026-09-24T22:00:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "US airlines oppose China’s bid to add more flights",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/us-airlines-oppose-chinas-bid-to-add-more-flights-9642188",
        "published": "2026-09-24T22:18:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "US airlines oppose China’s bid to add more flights",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/us-airlines-oppose-chinas-bid-to-add-more-flights-9653071",
        "published": "2026-09-24T22:57:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Jakarta Post",
        "title": "US airlines oppose China's bid to add more flights",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/us-airlines-oppose-chinas-bid-to-add-more-flights",
        "published": "2026-09-25T01:44:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}