US Hits Back On China, Suspends 26 China-bound Flights

The United States has retaliated against the Chinese government by suspending four Chinese carriers from embarking on 26 China-bound flights from the United States.

The suspension affected Xiamen, Air China, China Southern Airlines, as well as China Eastern Airlines. 

US said the suspension will take effect from September 5 to September 28, 2022, with flights heading to China and Eastern China from Los Angeles and the New York affected, Reuters reported on Thursday. 

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Prime Business Africa gathered that the decision of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) followed the Chinese government’s restriction placed on 26 flights of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. 

China had suspended the flights due to COVID-19 cases, after reviewing its COVID-19 policy that enable the Asian country to suspend one flight if 4% of the total passengers test positive, or suspend two flights if the figure is up to 8%. 

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The faceoff between US and China had began since the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020. In the second half of 2021, the Chinese government limited passenger capacity to 40% on four flights from the United States, and in response, the American government made same order. 

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In the first month of this year, 44 flights by U.S. carriers had been suspended by China, with the US also suspending 44 China-bound flights. Both countries have reduced their flights to about 20 flights weekly, significantly below the 100 flights they did prior to the pandemic.