China eases airline suspension rules for inbound flights with Covid-19 cases
- Aviation authorities announce relaxation of bans for international flights exceeding case number threshold
- Adjustment is in keeping with State Council directions to promote people exchanges between China and other countries: CAAC
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued a notice on Sunday to relax so-called circuit breaker measures that suspend international routes if the number of Covid-19 patients exceeds a case threshold.
The new measure reduces the previous maximum circuit breaker period from eight to four weeks and the minimum period from two weeks to one.
Under new rules for inbound flights carrying either five confirmed cases, or when infections are found in 4 per cent of passengers, the route will be suspended for one week and when the percentage reaches 8 per cent, it will be halted for two weeks.
Previously, if an airline carried five confirmed cases on a single inbound flight, the flight was suspended for two weeks, or the airline was limited to filling just 40 per cent of seats for four weeks. For two consecutive flights with 10 or more cases each, the flight was suspended immediately and halted for a total of 8 weeks.
The CAAC said the adjustment was in keeping with State Council directions to promote people exchanges between China and other countries as well as to ensure the prevention and control of the coronavirus was “scientific and precise”.
In June, the CAAC said it was negotiating with some countries to gradually and steadily increase the number of scheduled international passenger flights to meet the people-to-people exchange goal.
China has recently reduced quarantine time for overseas arrivals but remains among a handful of countries that still have such rules.
Previously, the requirement was 14 days in quarantine and seven days in home isolation.
Shanghai-based financial media outlet Yicai reports that the number of flights this year that triggered circuit breakers and were cancelled was triple last year’s figure.
Social media users said they were grateful for the easing of rules. On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, one user from Guangdong province said it signalled a gradual opening up.
And a user from Sichuan province said she looked forward to the day when the circuit breaker policy was cancelled altogether.