Air China flight CA841 from Beijing lands at Vienna International Airport, Austria, on Aug. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

China's civil aviation regulator has said it will strictly control inbound passenger flights, and passenger loads for inbound flights from regions with a high risk of COVID-19 will not be allowed to exceed 75 percent, following the country's continued experience of receiving imported cases.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said the move is due to the fact that the number of imported cases kept rising in August along with an increase in the number of international passenger flights to China.   

The CAAC said attention will be paid to carriers that have five passengers with positive nucleic acid test results in three consecutive weeks.

The CAAC said that if the number of passengers whose nucleic acid test results are positive after entry is zero for three consecutive weeks, the 75 percent passenger load factor limit can be cancelled.

The CAAC, along with government departments including the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, unveiled in early June incentives and penalties known as "circuit breakers" for carriers based on the results of passengers' nucleic acid tests. 

If more than five passengers on board test positive for COVID-19, a carrier will be suspended for one week. The suspension is for four weeks if 10 passengers test positive. 

Airlines on the same route can fly a maximum of two flights per week if they report zero positive test results for inbound passengers for three consecutive weeks.

On August 11, the Civil Aviation Administration of China triggered three "circuit breakers" in one day as passengers returned positive COVID-19 test results on Etihad Airways EY862, China Eastern MU212 and Sri Lankan Airlines UL866. The flights will be suspended for 1 week.

Up to now, the CAAC has cancelled 52 inbound flights, triggered by the circuit breakers.

Airlines now require more overseas travelers to take nucleic acid test results for COVID-19 within 72 hours of boarding.

The Chinese Embassy in Brazil announced recently that travelers flying to China from Brazil — including those transiting via Brazil — must provide nucleic acid test results for COVID-19 taken within 72 hours of boarding, starting from September 7. The announcement comes as the country reports a rising number of confirmed cases and possible cases of re-infection.

Global Times