China’s CAAC to loosen restrictions on foreign carriers entering the country

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on Thursday (4 June) that it will ease rules currently barring foreign airlines from flying to the mainland starting on 8 June. The curbs had been in place to prevent incoming passengers from spreading the COVID-19 virus that has killed almost 400,000 people around the world. The move comes after the US Department of Transportation, at the behest of President Donald Trump, proposed a new rule that would bar Chinese passenger airlines from flying to the US. Under the proposed rule, cargo flights could continue. Download the new US DOT rule here. Qualifying foreign carriers, about 95 of them currently barred from operating flights to China, will be allowed once-a-week flights into a city of their choosing, the CAAC said. Considering some countries are still banning international flights, the CAAC estimated the number of international flights would increase by 50 to 150 per week while the average of passengers arriving per day would rise to 4,700, up from around 3,000 now. The CAAC said all airlines will be allowed to increase the number of international flights involving China to two per week if no passengers on their flights test positive for COVID-19 for three consecutive weeks. If five or more passengers on one flight test positive for COVID-19 upon arrival, the CAAC will bar the airline from services for a week. Airlines would be suspended for four weeks if 10 passengers or more test positive. Airlines around the world have had to ground thousands of planes due to the shutdown in passenger traffic. Some countries like China are starting to open up, but slowly. (PHOTO: Shutterstock) The CAAC has slashed international flights since late March to allay concerns over rising coronavirus infections brought by arriving passengers. Mainland carriers are limited to one flight a week on one route to any country and foreign airlines are allowed to operate just one flight a week to a city in China. Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said at a daily briefing on Thursday the CAAC is lodging a complaint with the US Department of Transportation for the ruling against Chinese air carriers, according to media reports. He said the CAAC is in close cooperation with its US counterpart about passenger flights. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]