Dutch Airline KLM Asks EU to Deal With China’s ‘Unfair’ Competition

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines called on the European Union to take measures to counter “unfair” competition from Chinese airlines. “Europe can at least look at how we can prevent that unfair playing field by pricing it or looking at it in a different way,” KLM CEO Marjan Rintel told Dutch TV WNL on Oct. 7. In 2022, Russia closed its airspace to most European airlines in retaliation for the West’s sanctions over its war with Ukraine. European airlines’ flights have to detour to the south to avoid Russian airspace, increasing flight times and costs. Rintel said that avoiding Russian airspace adds between two to four hours of flying time, driving up KLM’s prices....