Moscow launches sixth airstrike in six days; US debt ceiling deal won’t limit Ukraine spending, says Chuck Schumer
Chinese airlines are avoiding flying over Russian airspace in newly approved flights to and from the United States, according to flight tracking website FlightAware and industry officials who spoke to Reuters.
Russia has barred US airlines and other foreign carriers from flying over its airspace, in retaliation for Washington banning Russian flights over the US in March 2022 after the country invaded Ukraine.
Reuters reports that FlightAware records show Chinese flights recently approved by Washington are not flying over Russia, while previously approved Chinese airline US flights are still using Russian airspace.
On 3 May the US Transportation Department (USDOT) said it would allow Chinese airlines to increase US passenger services to 12 weekly round-trips, equal to the number of flights Beijing has permitted for American carriers. Previously, only eight weekly flights by Chinese carriers were allowed.
USDOT Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs Annie Petsonk declined to answer a question about whether the Biden administration had required that the Chinese carriers avoid Russian airspace as a condition of approving four new flights.
Two villages Russia’s western Bryansk region has been shelled by Ukrainian forces, setting a house on fire, but no one was injured, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a post on the Telegram messaging app on Friday.
