What’s new: Chinese airlines will be able to operate 12 weekly round-trips to the U.S., up from eight, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said in an order issued Wednesday.
The upgrade matches the number of flights China has permitted for American carriers but is still far short of the average 300 weekly flights between the countries before pandemic restrictions were imposed in 2020.
“We believe that the public interest is best served by a balanced and incremental reopening to ensure an orderly normalization of the U.S.-China air transport market,” read the USDOT’s order, which took effect immediately.
The background: International travel is returning to China since the country reopened its borders in early January. But the pace has been slow due to geopolitical constraints, protracted negotiations between aviation regulators, and time needed for carriers and airports to rebuild capacity, analysts said.
British Airways resumed its daily flight between London and Shanghai last week, the first time since late 2020. The U.K. flag carrier is set to reinstate service to Beijing in June, according to an earlier announcement.
Related: Geopolitics, Lack of Manpower Fuel Turbulent Revival for China’s International Air Travel
Contact reporter Kelsey Cheng (kelseycheng@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
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