A China Eastern Airlines aircraft lands at Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport in East China's Jiangsu Province. Photo: VCG

China's civil aviation regulator is set to impose one-week suspensions for Etihad Airways flight EY862 from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai and China Eastern Airlines flight MU212 from Manila to Shanghai, and a four-week suspension for Sri Lanka Airlines flight UL866 from Colombo to Shanghai. All three suspensions will begin on August 17.

On August 3, six passengers on Etihad Airways flight EY862 tested positive for COVID-19, according to a notice posted on the website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Wednesday.

On August 5, six passengers on China Eastern Airlines flight MU212 tested positive, read the notice. On August 7, 23 passengers on Sri Lanka Airlines flight UL866 tested positive.

The notice stated that the three airlines can continue these flights before August 17 but the suspension period would be prolonged if "circuit breakers" are triggered during the period.

Following the announcement of the suspension, Etihad Airways said it would require all passengers - including infants and children -traveling to Shanghai from Abu Dhabi, or those traveling via the city, to be tested for COVID-19 up to 48 hours before departure and present negative results before boarding.

China has been facing a sharp rise in imported COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. On Tuesday alone, the country reported 25 confirmed cases, of which 16 were contracted overseas.

The CAAC in June launched a mechanism for imposing incentives and circuit breaking measures on inbound flights, in a bid to prevent the cross-border spread of the global pandemic.

The CAAC has since issued several flight suspension orders, including Thai Lion Air flight SL117 from Bangkok to Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province, Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8392 from Cairo to Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, and China Southern Airlines flight CZ392 from Dhaka in Bangladesh to Guangzhou.

Global Times