Chinese Airlines to Increase U.S. Bound Flights to 50 Per Week

Increasing from 35 flights to 50 per week.
One-third of the pre-COVID level.
The airline is gearing up for the surge in summer air travel demand.

The United States has decided to increase the number of flights by Chinese airlines to 50 per week.

According to CNBC on the 26th (local time), the US Department of Transportation said in a statement, “Chinese passenger airlines may increase the number of round-trip flights to the US from the current 35 to 50 per week starting next month.”

The Department of Transportation explained, “This approval is an important step towards further normalization of the aviation industry between the US and China in time for this summer vacation season.”

Fifty flights are about a third of the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level. Until 2019, both the U.S. and China allowed more than 150 flights each. However, it was drastically reduced to 12 flights in August last year due to COVID-19. Subsequently, it increased to 18 flights in September, 24 in October, and 35 in November.

As all COVID-19 quarantine measures are lifted and movements for economic revitalization accelerate, both the U.S. and China are anticipating a surge in air travel demand this summer. Last month, China simplified visa applications and reduced the number of required documents for U.S. tourists, indicating a welcoming atmosphere for tourists. Gina Raimondo, the US Secretary of Commerce who visited China last year, also expressed her desire to “vitalize travel and tourism between the two countries,” stating that “if Chinese tourism returns to 2019 levels, it will generate an additional $30 billion for the U.S. economy.”