U.S. Department of Transportation Cancels 26 Flights to Chinese Airlines

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) under the order DOT-OST-2020-0052 has cancelled 26 flights to Chinese airlines between September 5-28, this in response to actions taken by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) that impact U.S. airline operations.

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Over the course of the pandemic, flight restrictions between China and the U.S. have been significantly impacted due to strict regulations set by Chinese authorities, which have placed sanctions on U.S. airlines for the number of passengers who have tested positive for COVID-19.

American, Delta and United have continued to operate scheduled passenger flights to China with limited operations, but their services have been consistently impaired by CAAC actions, U.S. crews were also affected by the strict sanitary regulations of the Chinese authorities.

The U.S. Government states that the Chinese authorities individually clear those passengers who are eligible to fly from China to the U.S., after verifying testing prior to departure, U.S. airlines follow all regulations by CAAC regarding departure protocols, they should not be penalized if a passenger tests positive for COVID-19 on arrival in China.

New restrictions by Chinese authorities

The CAAC had stated that if 5 to 9 passengers test positive for COVID-19 during their arrival in China, the air operator must choose one of 2 restrictive measures:

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• Suspend for 14 days from 4 weeks of the event of registered COVID-19 cases.
• Impose a 4-week passenger load limit restriction of no more than 40% from 28 days after the COVID-19 recorded case event.

On August 7, 2022, the CAAC issued a new notice where if more than 4% of the passengers on the flight test positive with COVID-19, the operation will be suspended. If the number of passengers detected with COVID-19 exceeds 8%, two flights will be suspended.

The DOT has found that the CAAC’s actions are detrimental to U.S. operators; these actions affect the bilateral rights of both nations. The Department hopes that Chinese authorities can improve the situation and establish a more competitive environment for both parties.

Between February 8, 2022, and September 5, 2022, the CAAC has ordered the cancellation of 24 flights belonging to Delta, United and American.

Services suspended by DOT to Chinese airlines

• Air China: Flight CA770 Shenzhen (SZX) – Los Angeles (LAX) on September 6, 13, 20 and 27.
• Air China: Flight CA 988 Beijing Capital (PEK) – Los Angeles (LAX) on September 18 and 25.
• China Eastern: Flight CA 588 Shanghai Pudong (PVG) – Los Angeles (LAX) on September 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26 and 28.
• China Southern: Flight CZ 328 Guangzhou (CAN) – Los Angeles (LAX) on September 10, 12, 17, 19, 24 and 26.
• Xiamen Airlines: Flight MF 830 Xiamen (XMN) – Los Angeles (LAX) on September 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22 and 26.