File photo: Air China

The Biden administration has moved to double the number of weekly flights between the US and China, the world's two largest economies, the latest progress in bilateral aviation cooperation amid geopolitical tensions. Experts said  over the weekend that the move, in response to vast demand, will help the direct passenger flight market recover to pre-COVID levels.

Compared with the strong market demand, the current capacity is far from satisfying, and the US should ramp up efforts to recover bilateral civil aviation and improve ties in terms of people-to-people exchanges, they said. 

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a Friday order that each country will gain six weekly round-trip flights as of September 1, up from the current 12, while the figure will increase to 24 per week starting from October 29, meaning a doubling of current levels.

The round-trip flights will be operated by three US carriers and six Chinese airlines  - Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) had not issued a statement as of press time.

 "Our overriding goal is an improved environment wherein the carriers of both parties are able to exercise fully their bilateral rights to maintain a competitive balance and fair and equal opportunity among US and Chinese air carriers," the DOT said in a statement.

The progress, which can be deemed as a friendly signal released by the US, showed that despite turbulent bilateral ties, the world's top two economies still have much scope for economic and business cooperation. 

US politicians should align with the trend instead of going against it, industry analysts said.

Qi Qi, an industry analyst, told the Global Times on Saturday that the flight increase will help the bilateral aviation market return to normal and close to pre-COVID levels.

"Since the beginning of the year, Chinese airlines have applied to resume more flights to the US, but the US blocked the flights," Qi said.

The gradual resumption of direct flights will greatly facilitate exchanges between peoples of the two countries, Lin Zhijie, an independent market watcher, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Even after the flight increase, the volume will still be far less than the pre-pandemic peak when there were 332 direct flights per week between China and the US, according to Lin.

"Passengers' needs for direct flights cannot be met at the current phase, so they have to transfer through a third country, which is exhausting," Lin said.

Discussions between the two sides on adding flights hit a wall earlier this year, according to media reports, after the US asked Chinese airlines not to fly over Russia, a route that is shorter and cheaper.

The move was deemed as a political one without any rational basis because it was caused by unilateral sanctions imposed by the US on Russia, which have nothing to do with China, industry observers said.

The number of China-US flights remained at a low level during the pandemic. After China optimized its COVID-19 prevention measures at the end of last year, its aviation market gradually recovered.

Domestic civil aviation maintained its recovery momentum in the first half of 2023, basically returning to the level seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak, the CAAC said in July.

But for international flights, the recovery pace has been slow.

According to data from the CAAC, as of the end of June 2023, international passenger flights reached 3,368 per week, only recovering to 44 percent of the pre-epidemic level.

"In China's international flight market, routes to Southeast Asia have experienced the fastest recovery, while those to the US have performed the worst because of the US blocking policy," Qi said.

Against the backdrop of a strong market demand, the US government is urged to ramp up efforts to recover the pandemic-hit civil aviation market instead of blocking the resumption with political excuses. A quick resumption is in the interests of both countries, said Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.

Amid signs of improvement in bilateral economic ties, the US should show a sincere attitude and take actual steps to deliver substantial results, Gao told the Global Times on Saturday.

"The two peoples' bonds and pragmatic business cooperation between the two countries could consolidate foundation of bilateral ties," Diao Weimin, a senior professor at Civil Aviation Management Institute of China, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Given this, Diao said that more direct flights can be expected in the near future.