American airlines could regain the right to cross Russia under one of the business ideas the White House and the Kremlin have discussed, according to an October 27, 2026 Financial Times report that cited people familiar with the matter. The FT wrote that resuming transit and overflight access for US carriers would “significantly reduce fuel costs.” The idea concerns the Russian airspace US airlines stopped using in 2022.
Where it stands: No overflight deal had been announced by October 28. The FT quoted a US official as saying economic deals “would be included in and subject to a comprehensive peace framework that stops the killing in this brutal war; nothing is finalised.” The paper added that US officials have said the ventures would not go ahead until the war is over. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave the FT no answer, and a spokesperson for Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev declined to comment. The airspace detail rests on the FT alone: no other outlet had matched it by October 28.
What did the FT report about Russian overflights?
The FT listed airspace access in one sentence, among several non-oil ideas. The same report described talks on titanium, potash and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, alongside the oil and gas projects covered in our full rundown of the FT report.
Two points in the FT text matter for accountability. First, the ideas were being discussed by US and Russian officials “without direct Ukrainian or European participation,” the paper said. Second, the FT did not say which agency would carry out any change, whether US airlines had asked for it, or whether Russian carriers would get anything back in return.
How did Russia’s skies close to American carriers?
Short answer: both governments shut their skies to each other in 2022, and US airlines pulled out before Moscow formally barred them. The order of events is worth getting right, because outlets often compress it.
Russia hit European airlines first. At the end of February 2022, the Russian aviation authority closed its airspace “to the airlines of 36 countries” in reply to European bans, Stars and Stripes reported.
United moved first, hours before President Biden spoke on March 1. The Points Guy reported that the airline “made clear that it was their decision to stop using the airspace,” and that it suspended its San Francisco-Delhi and Newark-Mumbai flights.
That night, in his State of the Union address, President Biden said the US would join allies “in closing off American air space to all Russian flights.” The FAA then barred all Russian aircraft. “No Russian airliners or private jets will be allowed to land in or fly over the United States,” Stars and Stripes wrote.
Moscow’s formal step against US carriers came later. According to a Transportation Department order quoted by the law firm Eckert Seamans, Russia moved to “close its airspace to U.S. air carriers effective May 17, 2022.” Reuters has described the closure as retaliation for the US ban that March.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Late Feb 2022 | Russia closes its skies to airlines of 36 countries |
| Mar 1, 2022 | United stops crossing Russia by its own choice |
| Early Mar 2022 | US bars all Russian aircraft |
| May 17, 2022 | Russian closure to US carriers takes effect, per DOT |
| Jan 29, 2023 | United’s last Chicago-Delhi flight |
| Oct 9, 2025 | DOT proposes barring certain Chinese carriers from Russian skies on US routes |
| Oct 27, 2026 | FT reports overflights are among ideas discussed |
What did losing the Russian airspace US airlines once used cost them?
The clearest cost was routes. United dropped two India services in 2022 and later ended Chicago-Delhi; Live From A Lounge reported the last flight “operated on January 29, 2023.” Air India kept the route because it could still cross Russia.
The airline lobby put a price on it. In a 2023 presentation, Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group for the big US carriers, said the issue “could cost US airlines a combined $2 billion per year,” Business Insider reported. This site found no newer public figure for fuel or flying time.
Access was never free. Before the war, The Points Guy noted, United’s use of Russian skies “requires payment of overflight fees to the Russian government.” If access returned on the pre-war terms, those fees would again be payable to Russia; the FT did not say how fees would be handled.
What competitive argument have US airlines made?
US carriers say Chinese rivals gain an edge because they can still cross Russia on some US routes. The complaint has appeared in letters and regulatory filings under both Biden and Trump.
In May 2023 Washington approved more Chinese flights after Chinese carriers agreed not to fly over Russia on the new ones, Reuters reported. Older routes were not covered.
On October 9, 2025, the Transportation Department went further and proposed barring certain Chinese airlines from Russian airspace on flights to and from America. Reuters said the administration argued the practice “puts American carriers at a disadvantage.” China Eastern answered that detours would add “up to three hours” on key routes, ch-aviation reported.
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That order’s fate is unclear. Airways Magazine wrote in September 2026 that the docket “lists no final order” and cited Reuters as saying the plan was shelved before trade talks with Beijing. We treat it as proposed, not final.
The lobby kept pressing. In late September 2026, A4A chief Chris Sununu said Chinese carriers still overfly Russia on eight US flights. “It’s a huge cost to the airlines to have to go around Russia,” he told Reuters.
Has Moscow asked for air links before?
Yes. Russia raised flights at least twice in 2025, and Washington did not publicly agree.
After talks in Istanbul in February 2025, Russia said it had proposed restoring direct air links. The US readout “did not mention air links,” Reuters noted, while calling restored flights potentially “the most tangible economic result so far” of the thaw.
Two months later, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia had asked Washington to lift sanctions on Aeroflot. The Kyiv Independent reported at the time that Trump had “publicly ruled out lifting sanctions before a peace deal is reached.”
No 2026 US decision on direct flights or on Aeroflot was found in the sources reviewed for this article.
What would reopening Russian skies to US carriers take?
At minimum, a decision in Moscow, since Russia controls its own airspace. Beyond that, the public record leaves open questions the FT report did not answer:
- Reciprocity. Russia’s 2022 closure followed the US ban on Russian aircraft. The FT did not say whether Washington would reopen US skies to Russian airlines in return.
- Timing. US officials told the FT the ventures would wait until the war ends, inside a broader peace framework.
- Who else is affected. Kyiv and European governments were not part of the discussions, the FT said.
For the rest of the reported package and its legal hurdles, see our explainer on congressional review of Russia sanctions relief. When United ended Chicago-Delhi in January 2023, Air India stayed on the route, still crossing Russia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can US airlines fly over Russia right now?
No. Russia closed its airspace to US carriers in 2022; the US Department of Transportation dates that closure to May 17, 2022. United and other US airlines had already stopped using Russian skies on their own by then.
Did the US agree to reopen Russian airspace for American airlines?
No. In its October 27, 2026 story the Financial Times said only that officials had discussed the idea. A US official told the paper that nothing is finalised, and US officials have said the proposed ventures would not happen until the war ends.
How much does avoiding Russia cost US airlines?
No recent figure was found. In 2023 the trade group Airlines for America put the yearly cost to US carriers at about $2 billion combined, and its chief Chris Sununu called the detour a huge cost in September 2026.
Why do Chinese airlines still fly over Russia to the US?
Chinese carriers kept their access to Russian skies. A 2023 US-China arrangement required new Chinese flights to avoid Russia, but some older ones still cross it. A 2025 Transportation Department proposal to bar the practice has no final order on its docket.
Sources
- Washington discusses Russian deals for US oil majors in Ukraine peace talks — Financial Times, October 27, 2026
- Remarks of President Joe Biden: State of the Union Address as Delivered — The White House (archived), March 1, 2022
- FAA bars Russian aircraft from US airspace — Stars and Stripes (Seattle Times), March 2, 2022
- United Airlines ends its use of Russian airspace, suspends two India routes — The Points Guy, March 1, 2022
- Aviation Regulatory Update, October 2025 — Eckert Seamans, October 2025
- United pulls out of Chicago – New Delhi operations; remains with only one flight to India — Live From A Lounge, 2023
- More than 55 global airlines still fly over Russia, including to and from the US: ‘a crisis in the making’ — Business Insider (via Yahoo News UK), 2023
- Trump proposes barring Chinese airlines flying over Russia to reach US — Reuters (via Free Malaysia Today), October 10, 2025
- Chinese carriers oppose US’s Russia airspace ban — ch-aviation, October 20, 2025
- U.S. Airlines Oppose Extra Air China Flights Over Russian Airspace — Airways Magazine, September 19, 2026
- US airlines oppose China’s bid to add more flights — Reuters (via The Jakarta Post), September 25, 2026
- Russia says it suggested restoring air links with US at talks — Reuters (via Yahoo News), February 28, 2025
- Russia asks US to lift sanctions on its largest airline — Kyiv Independent (via Yahoo News), April 11, 2025
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.