China has today relaxed flight restrictions to allow US airlines to operate in the country once again, following a bitter dispute. China will allow one flight from selected US airlines per week from June 8th. However, it is unclear if the US will continue to ban Chinese flights into its country.

Disputes over flight restrictions between China and the US

Following this week's spat on travel restrictions, China has reached an agreement to allow US travelers to return to the country. Earlier today, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued a statement in which it said that US carriers would be able to resume flights to the country from June 8th. US airlines will be allowed to operate one flight per week to China.

The CAAC had previously excluded the US from a list of countries that were allowed to operate flights back to China. As part of the rephasing approach, the CAAC said that some flight operators could return to China based on their activity from March 12th. Since the US had already suspended flights to China at that point, its permitted number of flights was zero.

Of course, that decision sparked anguish with the US Department of Transportation (DoT) and President Donald Trump. On June 3rd, the DoT issued a suspension of Chinese carriers entering the US in retaliation to China's ban. The suspension was due to come into effect on June 16th and would have affected the following airlines:

• Air China;
• China Eastern Airlines;
• China Southern Airlines;
• Xiamen Airlines.

Will the US ban go ahead?

In a statement, the DoT said:

"Today the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an order suspending the scheduled passenger flights of Chinese carriers to and from the United States, effective by June 16, 2020. This action responds to the failure of the Government of the People’s Republic of China to permit U.S. carriers to exercise their bilateral rights to conduct passenger air service to China. [...] U.S. carriers have asked to resume passenger service, beginning June 1st. The Chinese government’s failure to approve their requests is a violation of our Air Transport Agreement."

The DoT's order is pending approval from the President. However, now that China has decided to open up to the US once again will the suspension be needed?

That all depends on how the US receives the news from China. Its airlines will only be allowed to fly one flight per week, providing that they meet the continuing eligibility criteria from China. This route allocation seems relatively small. However, restarting operations between the two countries is essential.

China's initial ban sparked fears that other airlines would gain a competitive advantage over the US. The US depends heavily on China. What's more, there is a notable appetite for tourism between the two countries. In 2019, 2.8m visitors arrived in the US from China, providing a boost to the US tourism trade.

How is China reopening its air travel?

Though China might seem to be providing a limited offer to the US, it can't be faulted for its measured containment of the pandemic as it reopens its air travel.

China is allowing a limited number of flights from foreign airlines and taking measures to avoid airport congestion. The country will monitor routes that restart in June for COVID-19 infections. All passengers, except for those from countries with fast-track agreements, will be tested for coronavirus upon arrival. This data will be recorded against individual flights and airlines.

If an airline operates a route without any coronavirus cases for three weeks, it will be allowed to run an additional flight per week. Conversely, if an airline reports five or more instances of coronavirus, the carrier will be suspended for at least one week.

The CAAC says that it is still working closely with the US DoT. It hopes that no further complications arise within this situation.

Should China have lifted the US travel ban? Was the US right to suspend Chinese carriers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.