United States: The authority of the USA is suspending 26 flights by airlines of China from the USA to China in a dispute over anti-virus controls after Beijing suspended flights by American carriers.
The Department of Transportation on Thursday complained Beijing violated an air travel agreement and treated airlines unfairly under a system that required that to suspend flights if passengers test positive for COVID-19.
Along with this, the United States regulators suspended seven flights by Air China Ltd. from New York City and a total of 19 flights from Los Angeles by Air China, China Southern Airlines Ltd, China Eastern Airlines Ltd. and Xiamen Airlines Ltd., as per the Department of Transportation.
It mentioned that it was equal to the number of flights United Airlines, America Airlines, and Delta Air Lines were required to cancel under Beijing’s “circuit-breaker” system.
It has kept case numbers less but disrupted travel, manufacturing and trade. Beijing is easing travel curbs, but most foreign visitors still are barred from China.
In addition, till August 7, if up to nine passengers on a flight tested positive, a carrier could suspend a flight for about two weeks or reduce the passenger it carried to 40 percent of the possible total, as per the Department of Transportation.
It mentioned that from August 7, the airlines had been required to suspend a flight if the number of positive tests reached 4 percent of passengers on one flight.
In addition, the actions of China are “premised on circumstances wholly outside of the carriers’ control,” the United States statement stated.
“We reserve the right to take more action” if Beijing imposes “further circuit-breaker measures,” the statement highlighted.
