Newly approved US flights by Chinese airlines avoid Russian airspace

FILE PHOTO: Workers work on a flight of Air China on the tarmac at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, March 28, 2016.REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

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.

Russia has barred U.S. airlines and other foreign carriers from flying over its airspace, in retaliation for Washington banning Russian flights over the U.S. in March 2022 after the country invaded Ukraine.