Air-France KLM is lobbying the French government to cap the number of flights that mainland Chinese carriers can make to Europe, according to people familiar with the matter, in a bid to protect European airlines from unfair competition.

European airlines urged Brussels on Wednesday to do more to secure a level playing field in the industry, complaining that Chinese rivals enjoy a huge cost advantage because they can fly over Russia and do not face extra environmental costs.

Chinese airliners can fly directly over Russia to Europe, offering customers shorter trips and cheaper ticket prices