The U.S. and China have reached an agreement to significantly boost air connectivity between the two nations. By the end of October, air services between the countries are set to double, marking a significant step in international travel relations.
Currently, airlines from both the U.S. and China are restricted to a total of 12 roundtrip operations per week. However, starting September 1, this number will rise to 18, with a further increase to 24 roundtrips scheduled for October 29.
Carol Petsonk, the DOT assistant secretary of aviation and international affairs, emphasized in an August 11 order that the primary objective is to foster an environment where "carriers of both parties are able to exercise fully their bilateral rights to maintain a competitive balance and fair and equal opportunity among U.S. and Chinese air carriers."
At present, the 12 weekly flights operated by U.S. airlines to China are equally divided among American, Delta, and United. On the Chinese side, the allocations are distributed between Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, and Xiamen Airlines.
United Airlines has already revealed plans to capitalize on the new allocations. The airline intends to enhance its San Francisco-Shanghai service from four times a week to daily starting October 1. Additionally, United plans to reinstate daily flights between San Francisco and Beijing in November.
However, even with the updated U.S.-China agreement, the air service levels will remain significantly below what they were before the pandemic. In August 2019, over 1,600 roundtrips were conducted between the U.S. and China, as per Cirium flight schedule data. In contrast, only slightly more than 200 roundtrips will be permitted from November.
It's worth noting that China had temporarily banned U.S. airline services early in the pandemic, a decision that contravened the U.S.-China air transport agreement. This led to the current stringent restrictions on air connectivity between the two major global economies.
In recent times, U.S. airlines have urged the DOT to prevent Chinese carriers from flying over Russia on U.S. routes. They argue that such flights pose risks to U.S. travelers and provide Chinese airlines with an unfair advantage, especially since the FAA bans U.S. airlines from flying over Russia. Using Russian airspace can significantly reduce flight times on certain U.S.-China routes.
