Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic

A number of foreign airlines have said they are preparing to resume China flights, which have been suspended for nearly five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, Air France announced it will resume services to Shanghai with one flight a week. The airline's first flight is scheduled to depart from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Thursday and arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Friday.

Air France said it will gradually increase the frequency of passenger flights to China pending government approval, travel restrictions and customer demand.

Before resuming passenger services, the carrier's operational activities were mainly focused on cargo flights between China and France. It currently operates 27 cargo flights per week.

On Tuesday, Air New Zealand became the first foreign airline to announce that it will restart scheduled passenger flights to China. It will resume its Auckland-Shanghai route on Monday, using the Boeing 787-9.

Air New Zealand said its flight resumption is due to demand from Chinese nationals and businesspeople stranded overseas.

More overseas carriers including Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic have been approved to resume flights to Shanghai. 

United Airlines said in an e-mail sent to the Global Times: "We welcome efforts to allow for resumption of our service between the US and China for the benefit of our customers." The company said it aims to re-launch services to China in the weeks ahead.

Delta Air Lines said it would resume passenger flights to Shanghai from Seattle next week via Seoul, and weekly flights from Seattle and Detroit beginning in July.

According to rules from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, from June 8, foreign airlines can choose a port city with reception capability and fly one flight per week, but they must first obtain an access certificate from the local airport. 

The above-mentioned airlines have received access certificates from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, according to Beijing-based China Times newspaper.

Shanghai is no longer a first entry point for international flights to Beijing, the civil regulator said on June 8, a move suggesting Shanghai will begin to welcome more international flights.

However, the regulator has warned that the policy has a circuit-breaker mechanism that means if all passengers on one airline route test negative for three consecutive weeks, the airline will be permitted one additional flight. If five passengers on a flight test positive, the airline in question will be required to halt operations for a week, and if 10 test positive it must suspend operations for four weeks.

On June 11, the China Southern Airlines route to Dhaka was the first to trigger the circuit breaker when 17 passengers tested positive after landing in South China's Guangdong Province. 14 were on a flight from Bangladesh and three were on a flight from India. 

Some airlines have also begun requiring passengers to provide nucleic acid test results before being allowed to board to avoid triggering the circuit-breaker mechanism.

Air New Zealand said it has strengthened its cleaning and disinfection of airports, VIP lounges and cabins, and hand sanitizers are provided at airports, check-in counters and on aircraft. Protective equipment including medical gloves, disposable masks and other protective items are being provided. All earphones, pillowcases and blankets will be fully disinfected before and after use.

Air France also said that from May 11, all passengers on flights will have their temperatures checked before departure, and all crew members and agents who come in contact with passengers must wear masks. A series of measures including daily cleaning, simplified on-board services and regular disinfection are needed to ensure safety during air travel, the airline said.