Washington is considering a ban on flights to the US via Russia

American airlines are urging the White House and Congress to ban foreign airlines from flying to the US through Russian airspace. This was reported by The New York Times with reference to its sources, writes svoboda.org.

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American airlines complain that they are in an extremely disadvantageous position compared to Asian competitors, since they cannot fly to Asia via the shortest routes - through the Arctic Ocean and Russia. Russia closed its airspace to them after a similar US ban on Russian air carriers in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Because of this, American airlines have to extend routes, reduce payload in order to save fuel, which may not be enough to make a flight in adverse weather conditions. As a result, foreign competitors' flight costs are lower, and flights take less time.

According to the lobby group Airlines for America, American companies lost about two billion dollars per hour. Emirates, Air India and China Eastern Airlines became the main beneficiaries of what was happening. Lobbyists call on the US authorities to create equal conditions for competition between American and foreign air carriers.

According to the New York Times, the Ministry of Transport has prepared a draft order, according to which Chinese airlines will be prohibited from using Russian airspace during their flights to the United States. However, the administration of President Joe Biden fears that such a decision regarding an Indian airline may cause unwanted friction with India.

Influential senators advocated the introduction of such a ban. In a letter to the State Department and the Ministry of Transport, the heads of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Bob Menendez and Jim Risch, note that when flying over Russian territory, airlines may find themselves in a situation where they need to make a forced landing or they may be forced to land. In such cases, American citizens on board may become the object of attention of the Russian authorities.

Proponents of the ban also emphasize that Russia is in a state of war, which may pose a danger to flights over its territory.

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