President Xi Jinping flew to the US via Russia faster than Trump — South China Morning Post
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States on a flight from Beijing in about 13.5 hours, using a route through Russian airspace, Alaska and Canada. This was significantly faster than US President Donald Trump's flight from Beijing in May, which lasted nearly 16 hours.
During a private tea gathering in the White House Red Room, Trump noted the speed of the Chinese leader's aircraft. Xi replied that the shorter travel time was ensured by the route through Russia, Alaska and Canada. According to the South China Morning Post, Xi's plane landed in the United States at about 5:40 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Different routes due to restrictions
The Russian Federation, an aggressor state, banned US and a number of other foreign airlines from using its airspace in 2022. This was a response to restrictions imposed by Western countries after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Due to the ban, US aircraft are forced to bypass Russia, increasing flight duration and fuel costs. At the same time, Chinese airlines can use the shorter route through Russia for eight weekly round-trip flights between China and the United States.
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Xi Jinping's return to China on a special aircraft — a modified Boeing 747 from the Air China fleet — took about 15 hours. By contrast, Trump's May flight to Beijing on Air Force One, according to US media, took nearly 18 hours, excluding an approximately hour-and-a-half refueling stop in Alaska.
Dispute over air connections
During an official ceremony at the White House, Xi called for increasing the number of direct flights between the United States and China to facilitate travel and trade. However, the US aviation industry opposes expanding flights as long as the ban on using Russian airspace remains in place.
Chris Sununu, head of the industry group Airlines for America, called the situation unbalanced and unfair to US carriers. Currently, airlines from each country are allowed to operate 50 weekly round-trip flights, while before the 2020 restrictions there were more than 150.
