The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has further amended its permissions for Chinese airlines to fly to the United States. Now, all mainland Chinese carriers will be able to operate an aggregate of four weekly roundtrip scheduled passenger flights. This comes after China agreed to allow United and Delta twice-weekly roundtrip flights between the US and China.
More roundtrips between China and the US
In the last few weeks, the DOT has spent some time focused on flight permissions for US airlines to fly to mainland China. Previously, China had some of the strictest restrictions on international flights, leaving American carriers shut out of the market. Both United and Delta are eyeing a return to mainland China this summer.
Now, the DOT has allowed an aggregate total of four weekly roundtrip scheduled passenger flights on Chinese airlines. This means that all of mainland China's carriers (being Air China, Beijing Capital, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan, Sichuan, and Xiamen) are allowed a grand total of four weekly roundtrips between the US and China combined. Essentially, this order will lead some Chinese airlines to be shut out of operating to the United States.
Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.
China has granted US airlines flights
On June 12th, the CAAC announced that it would allow United and Delta two weekly roundtrip flights. Three days later, on June 15th, the necessary operating permissions for those airlines were granted by Chinese authorities – thus paving the way for Delta and United to reinstate flights.
United Airlines provided Simple Flying the following statement:
"We welcome efforts to allow for resumption of our service between the U.S. and China for the benefit of our customers. United aims to re-launch our service to China in the weeks ahead."
Part of a spat on air travel rights
Earlier this month, the DOT announced that it would ban Chinese airlines from flying to the United States after the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) did not yet allow Delta and United to resume flights to China.
Only a few days later, the DOT made an about-face and allowed two weekly roundtrip flights across all Chinese airlines.
The DOT has accused China of blocking US airlines from returning to the market while Chinese carriers continued to fly between the two countries. Per previous documentation from the DOT, the US government believed that Chinese airlines were also using chart flights to circumvent scheduled commercial flight rules from China to operate more frequencies to the United States– all while United and Delta did not receive necessary permissions to reinstate scheduled commercial flights.
The DOT stated the following in its order:
"Our overriding goal is not the perpetuation of this situation, but rather an improved environment wherein the carriers of both parties will be able to exercise fully their bilateral rights. Only then will the Department’s actions to maintain a competitive balance and fair and equal opportunity among U.S. and Chinese air carriers in the scheduled passenger service marketplace no longer be necessary. The most recent CAAC actions, while a step in the right direction, have not created that environment. However, should the CAAC adjust its policies to bring about the necessary improved situation for U.S. carriers, the Department is fully prepared to once again revisit the action"