US airlines ask Biden administration to block additional flights to China

The US aviation industry has asked the Biden administration to pause approval of additional flights to and from China, saying Beijing’s “existing harmful anti-competitive policies” hurt American airlines and workers.

The US aviation industry has asked the Biden administration to pause approval of additional flights to and from China, saying Beijing’s “existing harmful anti-competitive policies” hurt American airlines and workers. “The competitive disadvantage is harmful to the approximately 315,000 workers employed by US passenger airlines that serve China,” according to a letter published Thursday addressing Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The letter was signed by industry lobby group Airlines for America — whose members include American Airlines (AAL), Delta (DAL) and United (UAL) — and other unions representing aviation workers, including the Air Line Pilots Association. “If the growth of the Chinese aviation market is allowed to continue unchecked and without concern for equality of access in the market, flights will continue to be relinquished to Chinese carriers at the expense of US workers and businesses,” it added. In February, Washington said it will allow Chinese airlines to further increase their direct passenger flights to the United States, in an effort to gradually restore aviation services that had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Chinese carriers were given approval by US officials to make 50 weekly round trips to and from the United States, up from 35, from March 31.