By Lyuesword | 17 June 2020 | 0 Comments
US says its airlines can resume limited flights to China
Hong Kong (CNN Business)—American airlines have been cleared to resume a limited schedule of flights to China after an agreement between the two countries to defuse what was shaping up to be a tense travel standoff.
The three largest US airlines — American Airlines (AAL), United Airlines (UAL) and Delta Air Lines (DAL) — were all flying to China before the coronavirus pandemic, but demand dropped off sharply as the outbreak took hold and they eventually suspended their flights in February when the US government imposed travel restrictions.
Four Chinese carriers operated throughout the pandemic at a reduced schedule of one weekly flight each between the two countries. But when Delta and United sought to resume service June 1, the US airlines were blocked by Chinese government regulations, according to the US Department of Transportation.
That led the Transportation Department to determine Beijing was violating a bilateral aviation agreement. The agency said earlier this month it would effectively ban Chinese flights into the United States starting June 16. US authorities later pulled back on that threat after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it would allow a limited number of flights from US carriers.
The Transportation Department on Monday announced it was authorizing — with immediate effect — Chinese airlines to fly four round-trip flights each week between the United States and China. The agency said its decision was spurred by China agreeing to do the same for US airlines.
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