Summary
- America and China are increasing the variety of weekly flights to 70, up from 48, in a move that shows each countries’ eagerness to expand flight operations following the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The increased flight slots can be divided between three US carriers and 6 China-based carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Air China, and China Eastern Airlines.
- The US Department of Transportation is actively communicating and searching for ongoing dialogue with the Civil Aviation Administration of China to facilitate the reopening of services between the 2 countries and establish a phased and predictable return to capability entitlements.
On Friday, October 27, the USA Department of Transportation (DOT) filed a report that the variety of flights between the USA and China can be increasing. Starting on November 9, China and the US will increase the variety of weekly flights to 70. The limit of flights between the 2 countries was began initially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Limits on weekly flights
The variety of weekly flights is ready to extend to 70 from 48 weekly flights. As well as, the variety of round-trip flights will increase from 24 every week to 35 weekly services. Prior to this increase, the US DOT and the Chinese government had agreed on a separate increase in flights. Starting Sunday, October 29, the variety of weekly round-trip flights is increasing to 24 from 12 weekly flights.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and before flight limits were imposed between the 2 countries, the USA and China had over 340 flights per week. Nearly 150 of those flights were round-trip flights. The shortage of flights currently offered has caused ticket prices for these services to stay extremely high when put next to pre-pandemic pricing. Nevertheless, the several recent increases on this limit show a trend that indicates each parties are desirous to expand flight operations.
Continued communication between the 2 countries
Within the DOT’s filing Friday, the department said it was repeatedly searching for an ongoing and productive dialogue with the Civil Aviation Administration of China. This dialogue will proceed to facilitate the broader reopening of the services between the 2 countries. The filing also stated,
“The Department intends to ascertain a roadmap that may provide for a phased and predictable return to the capability entitlements.”
The brand new increase in weekly flights comes just hours after the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, visited Washington DC for several days. Yi met with the USA Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan. He also met with US President Joe Biden. Biden and Yi agreed on principle to a gathering between Biden and the China President, Xi Jinping. The visit to the USA by Wang Yi superseded visits to China by several American officials. Antony Blinken, the 2 Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce, Janet Yellen and Gina Raimondo, and the Special Envoy for Climate Change, John Kerry, have all visited Beijing recently.
Source: Bloomberg