China, US to allow airlines to double flights between nations

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China and the United States will each allow airlines to double current flights to eight per week between the world’s two largest economies, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Tuesday.

The ministry said it would allow four Chinese airlines currently serving the United States to double their flights to eight weekly round trips, as China has agreed to allow US carriers to double their flights to China.

U.S. carriers voluntarily halted flights to China after the coronavirus outbreak. On January 31, President Donald Trump banned almost all non-US citizens from traveling to the United States from China.

United Airlines (UAL.O) said on Tuesday it would increase flights to China to four flights per week from San Francisco to Shanghai from September 4, while the department said Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) could also go from twice a week to four times a week.

Delta will also make four flights after announcing in June that it would operate flights to Shanghai from Seattle and Detroit from July, all via Seoul. On Tuesday, Delta would add a weekly flight from Detroit and Seattle to Shanghai, via Seoul, starting August 24.

The US government still hopes that China will agree to restore full US flight rights under its bilateral aviation agreement, the Department of Transportation said, adding that China is allowing additional flights, she will respond in kind.

The US-China agreement allows the two countries to operate more than 100 weekly flights between the two countries.

The United States threatened to ban Chinese passenger flights in June after Beijing did not immediately agree to reinstate flights by US airlines.

In May, the Trump administration told Air China (601111.SS), China Eastern Airlines Corp, China Southern Airlines Co (600029.SS), Hainan Airlines Holding Co (600221.SS) and their subsidiaries had to file timetables.

Chinese authorities have previously agreed to some changes to the requirements of U.S. carriers, including allowing temperature checks before take-off for flights to China, rather than mid-flight, as previously reported, Reuters reported in June.