File Photo: Xinhua

The US has announced it will double its flights to China to eight a week, equivalent to the total number of flights now permitted by the Chinese aviation authorities for US carriers, according to the statement by the US Department of Transportation. 

Experts say the gradual recovery of flight services demonstrates the deep economic ties and increasing need for more transportation between China and the US. China is also ready for increased international travel after successfully handling recent COVID-19 flare-ups in some Chinese cities. 

According to the statement, the two US carriers currently operating passenger flights to China – United Airlines and Delta Air Lines – were granted operating permission by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to increase their service frequency from twice a week to four times a week. 

United Airlines said that its flights from San Francisco to Shanghai will increase to four times per week from September 4. Delta Air Lines also added one flight to its Seattle to Shanghai and its Detroit to Shanghai routes from August 24. 

According to plans proposed by Chinese airlines, China Southern Airlines applied to increase the frequency of its flight from Guangzhou in South China’s Guangdong Province to Los Angeles to twice weekly, and a new flight will be added. Xiamen Air also applied to increase its flights from Xiamen to Los Angeles to be twice weekly, and added a new flight also. 

The department also said that it will modify a previous decision and allow four Chinese carriers operating flights to the US to increase service frequency from once a week to twice a week. 

The US Department of Transportation suspended all passenger flights by Chinese carriers between China and the US on June 3. In response, China reduced US flights to once a week, prompting the US to resume twice weekly flights on June 5.

The CAAC declined to comment when contacted by the Global Times on Wednesday.

“The push for increased flights between China and the US demonstrate the immense commercial connections between the two countries, and the ongoing needs of both to integrate into the global economy. Neither wants to be left out of the international market order,” Zheng Hongfeng, CEO of VariFlight told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Success in dealing with the recent COVID-19 flare-ups in cities like Beijing, Urumqi in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Dalian in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province, have also better prepared China for more international flights, Zheng said. 

According to statistics compiled by VariFlight, a total of 12 flight companies have applied for flying plans from August 18 to September 18 between China and the US, including 52 routes and 605 flights, connecting 23 cities and 25 airports. 

Global Times