CHINESE AIRLINES CAN BOOST US FLIGHTS TO 50 PER WEEK
The U.S. Transportation Department announced on Monday that Chinese passenger airlines will be permitted to increase their weekly round-trip flights to the United States to 50 starting March 31. This adjustment represents a significant increase from the current limit of 35 flights per week and signals a gradual return to normalcy in the aviation market, reaching nearly one-third of pre-pandemic levels. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, both Chinese and U.S. carriers operated more than 150 weekly round-trip passenger flights between the two countries. However, strict restrictions were imposed as a result of the pandemic, leading to a significant reduction in flight operations.
The number of permitted flights gradually increased over time, with Chinese and U.S. carriers initially limited to just 12 weekly round-trips each until August 2023. Subsequently, the limit was raised to 18 weekly round-trips on September 1, followed by a further increase to 24 per week starting October 29. In November, the U.S. Transportation Department approved an allocation of 35 weekly round-trip flights for Chinese carriers, and the upcoming adjustment to 50 flights marks another step towards restoring normal flight operations between the two countries.
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