China to allow more international flights from 8th, Jun

@WeChat ID: ijobchina

Fire engines spray water over Xiamen Airlines Flight MF8095 to welcome the jet at Tianhe Airport in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, April 8, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

China will allow domestic and overseas airlines to increase the number of international passenger flights in and out of the country if the epidemic risks are controllable, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Thursday.

Domestic and overseas airlines that have been operating international passenger flights under restrictions imposed on March 29 will still stick to the previous plan, with domestic airlines flying one flight a week on one route to any country and foreign airlines operating one flight a week to China, the administration said.

Foreign airlines with no international passenger flights to the country will be allowed to operate one flight per week starting June 8, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said

Airlines should file their pre-flight plans for the period until Oct 24, 2020, according to the CAAC.

Photos show the busy Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on Thursday. China's civil aviation regulator on Thursday moved to loosen international flight restrictions by allowing all qualified foreign airlines to resume services to China from Monday, to boost international travel and enable a faster economic recovery while continuing efforts to stem the arrival of imported coronavirus cases. Photos: Yan Hui/GT

The CAAC will also have a reward and circuit breaker mechanism in place to contain the number of imported cases of the novel coronavirus.

If the number of passengers who have a positive nucleic acid test stands at zero for three consecutive weeks on the same route, airlines will be allowed to add one additional flight per week to the route as a bonus, it said.

But the airline will suspend the operation of the route for one week if five or more passengers test positive for the coronavirus. If the number exceeds 10, the airline will be asked to suspend flights on the route for four weeks, it said, adding that airlines could fly the route again after the "circuit breaker" period.

The administration also noted that it will allow certain eligible countries to increase the number of international passenger flights in and out of the country if the epidemic risks are controllable.

China’s airline-related shares rise collectively as China loosens restrictions on international flights

An airplane from China Eastern Airlines at the Beijing Daxing International Airport Photo: Courtesy of China Eastern Airlines

China's airline-related shares on Friday rose collectively as China has taken a cautious yet significant step to loosen restrictions on international flights put in place to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

As of noon on Friday, China Eastern Airlines' share price has increased 6.15 percent to 4.49 yuan ($0.63), Air China shares are up 5.36 percent to 7.08 yuan in Shanghai stock market, and Beijing Capital International Airport Co's shares have risen 8.84 percent to HK$5.54 ($0.71) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

According to the rules released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Thursday morning, all international carriers that were not previously allowed to resume operations can select one of 37 designated Chinese cities and resume one flight each week to that city from Monday.

Aviation is one of the industries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic as countries and regions have issued lockdowns, with both personal and business travel drastically cut across the world.

Total revenues in the global airline industry were forecast to drop 55 percent year-on-year in 2020, media reported, citing data from the International Air Transport Association.

Source: www.chinadailyhk.com, by Wang Keju;

Xinhua; Global Times

END

Related Info@IJOBINCHINA

● US bans Chinese passenger carriers from flying to U.S.
● U.S. closes door to Chinese students, other countries open...
●  June 1:U.S. bans some Chinese students from entering its borders
●  International Flights: Taking Off Again but Buyer Beware