Business & Economy

US suspends 44 Chinese airlines flights over Beijing’s Covid actions

Washington, Jan 21 (EFE).- The United States will suspend 44 Chinese-airline flights to China in response to the restrictions that Beijing has taken against US flights due to Covid-19 protocols, Washington announced Friday.

The US has ordered the suspension of 44 Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and XiamenAir flights scheduled between Jan. 30 and Mar. 29, which were to depart from Los Angeles and New York to the Asian giant.

According to the US government, since Dec. 31 Chinese authorities have suspended 14 Delta Air Lines, 10 American Airlines and 20 United Airlines flights after some passengers tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in China.

The US Department of Transportation considered Beijing’s actions “unilateral,” and “adverse to the public interest and warrant proportionate remedial action.”

“US carriers, who are following all relevant Chinese regulations with respect to pre-departure and in-flight protocols, should not be penalized if passengers, post-arrival, later test positive for Covid-19,” it said.

In March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chinese government restricted the number of foreign flights into the country. It is still pursuing a zero-Covid approach to the pandemic.

Then-US president Donald Trump in June of that year banned the entry of Chinese airlines due to Beijing’s refusal to lift the restrictions, a situation that normalized last year. EFE

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