Airlines for America (A4A) plans to use a memorandum of understanding it signed this week with the China Air Transport Association (CATA) as a means to highlight the concerns of U.S. carriers over regulatory and infrastructure constraints in China. While over the past five to ten years flights between the two countries have increased significantly, the U.S. airline industry group complains that “extremely constrained” airspace within China has created artificial barriers to further growth. For example, the Chinese military controls some 80 percent of the country’s airspace, leaving what amounts to “two-lane highways” for flights in and out of major airports such as Shanghai and Beijing. “This has made it difficult for U.S. carriers to routinely get commercially viable daytime slots at some of China's most important airports,” an A4A spokeswoman told AIN.

The MOU, signed by A4A president and CEO Nicholas Calio and CATA chairman Li Jun on March 21, formalizes what the Washington, D.C.-based A4A called a longstanding cooperative relationship with CATA and serves as a platform for the two groups to further engage on “issues” affecting their member airlines and the global aviation community, most notably market access for U.S. carriers.

“The U.S. and China represent two of the most significant global aviation markets around the world, as evidenced by the tremendous growth in both passenger and cargo operations between our two nations over the past decade,” said Calio. “I want to thank chairman Li for his leadership and commitment to bolstering the long-standing partnership between A4A and CATA, and look forward to our continued efforts to promote and facilitate travel and tourism opportunities between the United States and China.”