Chinese Airlines Gain Advantage as European Carriers Face Setbacks Flying Over Russia

Chinese Airlines Dominate European Air Traffic

Last summer, China Eastern Airlines announced an expansion of its European operations, increasing its routes to 19 and offering 244 weekly round trips, according to China Daily.

Meanwhile, China Southern Airlines recently added a direct service connecting Budapest and Guangzhou, growing its footprint in Europe to 11 destinations.

The largest player, however, is Air China, which has become the leading Chinese carrier to Europe. The airline operates “32 routes and 53 daily flights, exceeding the 2019 level by 116 percent,” according to the Global Times, a Chinese state-run media outlet.

British Airways canceled its London-Beijing route in late October. | Justin Tallis/Getty Images

Chinese airlines now dominate 77 percent of the air traffic between China and Europe, a significant increase from the pre-pandemic share of 50 percent. In certain markets, such as Italy and the U.K., their control is almost absolute—accounting for 100 percent and 95 percent of the market share, respectively, as noted by aviation analyst Piotr Grobelny.

According to Andrew Charlton, managing director of Aviation Advocacy, European airlines are taking a subdued approach to this dominance. “For the European carriers, the strategy at the moment is to acknowledge the injustice, but they have been fairly quiet on the point, accepting the political realities,” he said. Charlton suggested that lobbying to level the playing field by imposing similar restrictions on Chinese competitors would likely be futile.

The European industry also faces challenges due to the closure of Russian airspace, a restriction imposed following Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. International Airlines Group CEO Willie Walsh argued that this closure is politically motivated: “The closure of Russian airspace has nothing to do with safety, nor with security,” he said, adding that European airlines are “victims of politics.”

Walsh expressed hope for resolution, saying, “I would hope that we’ll see an end to the war in Ukraine and that we will see a return to a more normal environment.” While he admitted this might be “wishful thinking,” he emphasized it is a shared global aspiration.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to clarify the sources of the quotes included.