US has not decided on Air China’s request for extra summit flights

The US Department of Transportation had not announced a decision on Air China’s application for additional flights linked to this week’s high-level US-China visit as of late Monday, Hong Kong time, according to the supplied report. Air China is seeking permission to add flights between Beijing and New York, and between Beijing and Washington. The proposed services are scheduled for September 19 and 25, although the available material does not clarify the year or provide further timetable details.

Airlines for America, a trade group representing major US airlines, has filed an objection to the application. The group’s members include the largest airlines in the United States, according to the source. The source material does not give the reasons in full for the objection, saying only that the association protested Air China’s request for the additional services.

The Transportation Department’s position remained pending on the department’s online platform when the report was prepared. No ruling, approval or rejection had been issued in the information supplied. The application is connected to a high-level visit involving US and Chinese leaders, but the available material does not provide further details about the visit, the proposed flights’ capacity or Air China’s argument for adding them.