Coronavirus: US suspends 26 flights to China by Chinese airlines over zero-Covid rules
- Beijing violated air travel agreement and treated airlines unfairly under flight-suspension system, US Department of Transportation says
- Affected flights are Air China from New York City, and Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Xiamen Airlines from Los Angeles
The Department of Transportation said Beijing violated an air travel agreement and treated airlines unfairly under a system that requires them to suspend flights if passengers test positive for Covid-19.
US regulators suspended seven flights by Air China from New York City and a total of 19 flights from Los Angeles by Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Xiamen Airlines, according to the department.
It said that was equal to the number of flights United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air were required to cancel under Beijing’s “circuit-breaker” system.
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China’s “zero Covid” strategy aims to keep the virus out of the country while other governments are shifting to living with the coronavirus disease. The strategy has kept case numbers low but disrupted travel, manufacturing and trade. Travel curbs are now being eased, but most foreign visitors are still barred from China.
Until August 7, if up to nine passengers on a flight tested positive, a carrier could either suspend a flight for two weeks or reduce the passengers it carried to 40 per cent of capacity, according to the US department. But since August 7, airlines have been required to suspend a flight if the number of positive tests reached 4 per cent of passengers on one flight.
The Department of Transportation complained that airlines face “undue culpability” for passengers who present negative test results before boarding but test positive after arriving in China.
China’s actions are “premised on circumstances wholly outside of the carriers’ control”, it said in a statement.
“We reserve the right to take additional action” if Beijing imposes “further circuit-breaker measures”.
