US to suspend passenger flights from China - BBC News

The Department of Transportation said it is punishing Beijing for refusing to let US airlines resume flights to China as its pandemic subsides.

The Department of Transportation order applies to four airlines - Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines - which have continued to fly between the two countries during the pandemic, although at reduced levels.

Beijing in March said domestic and foreign airlines could operate no more than one weekly flight between China and any given country, adding that carriers could not exceed the level of service they were offering on 12 March.

The Department of Transportation said the March order had effectively banned US airlines, which had voluntarily suspended service between the two countries in February due to the pandemic and Mr Trump's order barring entry to the US for most Chinese travellers.

It said the refusal to grant requests by US airlines to resume service this month violated the agreement governing air travel between the two countries, which dates back to 1980.

In recent weeks, China has moved to loosen restrictions on charter flights from some countries but not the US, according to a report last month in the Community Party's Global Times

Delta Airlines, one of the companies that had sought to resume flights this month, said it welcomed the US order

The US China Business Council, which represents 200 big US companies that do business in China, said: "Commercial air travel provides a vital bridge between the US and China