{
  "id": 9976603,
  "title": "Why Xi’s flight from China to the US was hours faster than Trump’s in May",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/why-xis-flight-from-china-to-the-us-was-hours-faster-than-trumps-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-26T12:00:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368906/why-xis-flight-path-china-us-was-hours-faster-trumps-may"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During the conclusion of his state visit to the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed admiration for the speed of his flight journey when compared to former US President Donald Trump's return trip in May. Trump marveled at Xi's swift travel, crediting the fast plane and its route that included Russia, Alaska, and Canada. Xi then explained that the route indeed played a significant role in the quick travel time. The two leaders had a relaxed tea session in the White House's Red Room following the state visit.\n\nIn contrast, Trump's flight back from Beijing took close to 16 hours due to airspace bans imposed by Russia in response to the Russia-Ukraine war. This meant US aircraft had to circumvent Russian airspace, significantly increasing the journey time. Xi, however, flew the same route back on his \"special plane\" and reached China in about 15 hours.\n\nThe ongoing ban on US and foreign aircraft in Russia's airspace since 2022 has made the travel times between the two countries longer. China has been granted the privilege of using the shorter route through Russian airspace for eight weekly round-trip flights to the United States. Despite China's neutral stance in the Ukraine war, the US civil aviation industry opposes the addition of more flights due to the perceived imbalance.\n\nThe aviation industry's concerns over the unfair advantage and increased costs due to the current situation were voiced by Chris Sununu, head of the industry group Airlines for America. The situation has been further complicated by the reduced number of direct flights between the United States and China, a decline that began during the Covid-19 pandemic and has been further stalled by diplomatic friction.",
  "summary": "Over a private tea session in the White House’s Red Room to mark the end of Xi Jinping’s state visit, US President Donald Trump struck a relaxed tone, marvelling across the table at how fast the Chinese leader had made the trip to America. “It’s a very fast plane … the fastest plane,” Trump said, in footage captured after the White House TV press pool resumed coverage following a court ruling…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "Why Xi’s flight from China to the US was hours faster than Trump’s in May",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/why-xis-flight-from-china-to-the-us-was-hours-faster-than-trumps-in-9977773",
        "published": "2026-09-26T12:00:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ajel English",
        "title": "Xi, Trump stress importance of respect and fairness, says China",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/xi-trump-stress-importance-of-respect-and-fairness-says-china",
        "published": "2026-09-26T12:31:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Live updates: Trump attends Texas-Tennessee football game in Knoxville; US, China to cut tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/live-updates-trump-attends-texas-tennessee-football-game-in-knoxville",
        "published": "2026-09-26T13:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}