The U.S. government said on Thursday that it will suspend 26 flights from the United States bound to China by four Chinese carriers in response to the new policy from the Chinese government that suspended some U.S. carriers over Covid-19 cases.
Xiamen, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are the four carriers to have their flights suspended by the U.S. government.
After the suspension by the U.S. government, the Chinese Embassy in Washington’s spokesperson Liu Pengyu commented that the move was extremely irresponsible and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) had groundlessly suspended Chinese airline flights.
Earlier this month, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said that if 4% of passengers on an inbound flight test positive for COVID-19, the flight route will be subject to a one-week suspension, the suspension will be two week if 8% of passengers on the flight test positive for the virus. The restriction began from August 7, 2022.
USDOT raised objections with China on the matter, saying that the rules place undue culpability on carriers when outbound travelers test negative for Covid-19 before boarding their flight from the U.S. only to test positive after their arrival in China.
Flight restrictions have been one of the issues between the U.S. and China after international travel started to return. In January, the U.S. also suspended 44 China-bound flights from the United States to retaliate Beijing’s move to suspend 44 flights from the United States.
