Senators ask Biden for US ban of Russian overflights

[caption id="attachment_57134331" align="alignright" width="201"] image: Canstock[/caption] The head of an air cargo industry trade group has expressed his support for a proposal from two U.S. senators who want the federal government to ban non-U.S. carriers that fly over Russia from landing in the United States. Sen. Robert Menendez (D, N.J.) and Sen. James Risch (R, Idaho), the top-ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued in a recent letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg that non-U.S. carriers have a competitive advantage because they use less fuel than the U.S. carriers that avoid Russian airspace. Currently, U.S. carriers flying to Shanghai must stop in Incheon, South Korea as the longer flight distance extends beyond flight crew time limits. The U.S. banned Russian flights from U.S. airspace in March 2022, and Russia responded by banning U.S. airlines from overflights. The senators also urged the Biden administration to “strongly and publicly discourage U.S. persons, citizens, and permanent residents from traveling on flights over Russian territory." Forwarders respond Brandon Fried , executive director of the Airforwarders Association , voiced support for the senators’ proposal. The trade association advocates for the freight forwarding industry, working with cargo airlines, federal regulatory agencies, other interested stakeholders and members of Congress to promote cargo operations with airlines and to influence impending regulations. “U.S. carriers have to compete with their foreign counterparts and if those foreign counterparts are allowed to overfly Russia to and from the United States, that’s not fair,” Fried told Air Cargo Next . “It’s not fair to U.S. freight forwarders and their partners that are competing in that market.” Fried said he thinks the ban on non-U.S. carriers flying over Russia is likely, but the final product may be a compromise from the senators’ original proposal. The only issue Fried sees with their proposal is enforcement. “You’re not going to get the whole world to follow in your footsteps,” he said. “But at the same time, you need to realize that the U.S. commercially [wields] a big hammer.” Airlines for America , which represents American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines and others, also said it supports the senators' request. The organization said the letter aligns with “long-standing concerns regarding Russian overflights which have put U.S. airlines — passenger and cargo — at a direct competitive disadvantage.” Menendez and Risch in their letter also asked the Biden administration to ban planes from leaving the U.S. if they plan to fly over Russia. "An additional byproduct of the current situation is that it puts U.S. airlines at a competitive disadvantage relative to airlines from other countries willing to do business with Russia," the senators wrote, noting that proactive action would close off a “funding source from the Russian government”. The U.S. State Department declined to comment on the letter to Air Cargo Next . Even if the proposal takes time to become reality, Fried said that the message behind it is clear. “The message is that the United States doesn’t want to support any entity that’s benefited from Russia,” he said.

Senators ask Biden for US ban of Russian overflights

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