only 50 weekly Flights compared to 325 pre-covid
RR | Miami | August 26, 2024
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RELATED TOPICS: Air China, Air France-KLM, Airlines for America, America, British, China Eastern, China Southern, Miami, New York, Virgin Atlantic, Xiamen Airlines
Both Western European and American airlines are cutting back on Flights to China because they have to detour to avoid flying over Russian airspace. This has increased the cost of operating the routes by 25-30% due to fuel costs, compared with Chinese airlines that can fly over Russia.
The United States agreed in February to increase direct Flights to China from 35 to 50 a week, less than a sixth of the 325 weekly Flights before the pandemic. “If the growth of the Chinese aviation market is allowed to continue unchecked and without regard for equal access, then flying will be foregone in favor of Chinese companies and at the expense of American workers and companies,” Airlines for America said, as reported by Expansión.
Likewise, demand for direct Flights to China has dropped by 76% in 2024 compared to 2019, according to data from A4A. The affected airlines such as British Airways, Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic consider that they are at a competitive disadvantage with the Chinese ones, since their operations have been reduced this summer by 60% compared to 2018 when they reached their highest level with 13,000 Flights, according to data from OAG, according to the same media.
Chinese airlines, meanwhile, have only cut their Flights by 30% since 2019, and by this summer they were already operating more than twice as many Flights as Western airlines. “If there is a Chinese company flying over Russia, then it has an advantage over us,” said Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, in 2023.
As reported by REPORTUR.usexpectations for 2023 were high for American airlines. With the agreements between the United States and China, American, Delta and United were to double their Flights. The airlines would go from 12 round-trip operations to 18 starting in September and from the end of October they would reach 24 Flights. (American, Delta and United will double Flights to China.)
The 12 weekly Flights in August 2023 operated by U.S. airlines to China were evenly split, as were Chinese airlines’ allocations, among Air China, China Southern, China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines.
