United Urges US to Add Hong Kong Airlines to Russia Airspace Ban

United Airlines has called on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to include Hong Kong-based carriers in its proposed ban on the use of Russian airspace for flights between China and the United States. The airline argues that excluding Hong Kong operators would create an uneven playing field in the transpacific market.

“Allowing different treatment for Hong Kong, where competitive circumstances mirror those in mainland China, would undermine the fairness the Department seeks to maintain in U.S.-China routes,” United said in its filing to the DOT.

The DOT’s tentative order, issued on October 9, would prohibit Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, and Capital Airlines from flying through Russian airspace. U.S. carriers have been barred from the shortest, most direct routes via Russia since May 2022, when Moscow closed its airspace to American airlines.

United noted that Hong Kong carriers, particularly Cathay Pacific, maintain a strong presence on U.S. routes, holding roughly 75% of total seat capacity. Cathay operates about 12 daily flights to the U.S., including to Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Chicago O’Hare—routes that United cannot serve efficiently due to Russian airspace restrictions.

United warned that allowing Cathay Pacific to continue using Russian routes would perpetuate a competitive imbalance. Data from ch-aviation confirms Cathay Pacific remains the only Hong Kong-based airline currently operating scheduled passenger services to the United States.

Related News: https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/airline-finance/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com