News
U.S. and China tussle over flights
June 5th 2020
Increasing geopolitical tensions between China and the U.S. have spilled over to aviation with the U.S. announcing plans to stop all Chinese carriers from flying into the country from mid-month. Read More »
A U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) order, published this week, outlined plans to suspend scheduled passenger operations for all Chinese carriers to and from the U.S. from June 16 to restore a "competitive balance".
The order was in response to “the failure of the Chinese government, through the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), to permit U.S. carriers to "exercise the full extent of their bilateral right" to conduct scheduled passenger flights to and from China, the DoT said.
"The public interest requires the suspension of all Chinese carrier scheduled passenger air services between the United States and China," the DOT order, signed by assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs, Joel Szabat, said.
"Our overriding goal is not the perpetuation of this situation, but rather an improved environment wherein the carriers of both parties will be able to exercise fully their bilateral rights. Should the CAAC adjust its policies to bring about the necessary improved situation for U.S. carriers, the department is fully prepared to revisit the action it has announced in this order," the DoT said.
The directive also represented an escalation of the dispute between the two countries, with the U.S. objecting to China's March 26 decision to impose a restriction on international flights in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, the DOT imposed an extra administrative burden on Chinese airlines flying to the U.S, which required them to file their existing schedules and apply for permission to operate new routes at least 30 days before inauguration of the service.
Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines are flying between China and the U.S.
The DoT order, announced on Wednesday (U.S. time) was followed hours later by a CAAC announcement that it would be easing some existing restrictions on international services to and from China.
Since March 26, China has restricted international flights in response to the pandemic, limiting Chinese airlines to one weekly scheduled passenger flight on one route to any given country and foreign carriers to one scheduled passenger flight a week on one route to China.
Also, airlines were required to use their international passenger flight schedules from March 12 as a maximum limit of capacity in terms of frequency of passenger service. However, by March 12, all U.S. passenger airlines had ceased passenger flights to China but Mainland carriers were still flying to the U.S.
The new regulations, published on the CAAC website yesterday, said all foreign airlines would be permitted to operate one flight a week to China, irrespective of whether they were operating to China on March 12. A list of 37 eligible airports published on the CAAC website included the major gateways of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.
Additionally, the CAAC notice listed "incentives" for airlines to add flights to China.
Airlines with scheduled passenger flights to China would be able to operate two flights a week if no passengers tested positive to the coronavirus for three consecutive weeks.
If five passengers tested positive on any one flight, the airline would be suspended from operating the route for one week. The route suspension would increase to four weeks should 10 passengers test positive upon arrival in China.
Media reports indicated the DoT was planning to issue a revised order in light of the new CAAC regulations.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have sought approval, from this month, to resume daily nonstop passenger flights to China that were cut because of the coronavirus. However, both carriers have had to delay the launch of those flights.
“We look forward to resuming passenger service between the United States and China when the regulatory environment allows us to do so,” United Airlines said in a statement to the Associated Press.
