China ordered the cancellations after some passengers tested
positive for COVID-19 on flights that arrived in China in late December,
according to industry officials.
American Airlines said Tuesday that six of its flights from
Dallas-Fort Worth to Shanghai in late January and early February have been
canceled. United Airlines said it was forced to cancel six flights from San
Francisco to Shanghai later this month. Delta Air Lines said it canceled one
flight last week and another this Friday to Shanghai.
Airlines for America, which represents the largest U.S.
passenger and cargo carriers, said it was discussing the matter with U.S. and
Chinese government officials to find ways to minimize the impact on travelers.
The Biden administration had no immediate comment.
The blocking of flights is the latest development in a
dispute between the two countries over international flights and rules designed
to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
China has been ratcheting up travel restrictions after
recent outbreaks of COVID-19 as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics in
early February. China limits capacity on inbound flights — currently to 75% —
and requires passengers to be tested before departure and after arriving in the
country.
If passengers test positive, the airline that carried them
can be forced to cancel two to four flights, depending on the number of
positive cases.
Last month, Delta said new requirements for cleaning planes
between flights caused a plane bound for Shanghai to return to Seattle. The
airline said the new rules extended the time planes would need to sit on the
ground in Shanghai, and weren’t workable. The Chinese consulate in San Francisco
lodged a protest over Delta’s decision.
In 2020, the Trump administration backed down from a threat
to block four Chinese airlines after China agreed to let United and Delta
resume limited operations that were shuttered earlier in the pandemic.
Last August, the U.S. Transportation Department limited the
number of passengers on four Chinese airlines’ flights to the U.S. after China
imposed similar limits on United Airlines. The U.S. said China was putting an
unreasonable burden on U.S. airlines for travelers who test positive after
arriving in China. -AP
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