Originally Posted by
username
BR and CI have routed aircraft over Mainland China to / from Europe since 2005.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/h...00/4215442.stm
Whether they do it now or not, the consideration is cost, not traffic right. The northern route over China is also very congested so they might not get approved.
The cost argument doesn't hold water:
-Non ROC airlines (e.g. CX, BA, LH, DL, SQ, JL, NH, KE, OZ) aren't dissuaded
-Those ANC fuel stops (previously scheduled, now need based) surely cost more than PRC ATC fees
-Routing all Europe flights via BKK is not desirable for passengers or the airlines
-PEK-SHA/XMN/HKG/ULN are not congested between midnight and 6a (when BR/CI would be most likely to utilize these routes)