US hits back at China by suspending 44 passenger flights operated by Chinese airlines

Decision is in response to restrictive moves by Beijing on American carriers under its Covid-19 protocols

China Eastern Airlines is among the carriers hit by Washington's action. Reuters

The US has announced that it is suspending 44 Chinese passenger flights from America to China in response to restrictive moves by Beijing on US carriers under its Covid-19 protocols.

China maintains strict controls over border entry, including drastically reduced numbers of flights and a “circuit breaker” policy where routes are halted if too many infections are brought in on aircraft.

China's aviation authority used the circuit breaker policy to cancel flights by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, when passengers who tested negative for Covid before take-off later tested positive on arriving in China.

The US Department of Transportation wrote in its order that “actions impairing the operations of Delta, American and United as described above are adverse to the public interest and warrant proportionate remedial action by the department".

“US carriers, who are following all relevant Chinese regulations with respect to pre-departure and in-flight protocols, should not be penalised if passengers, post-arrival, later test positive for Covid-19,” it said.

The 44 suspended flights are operated by Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and XiamenAir and are scheduled for departure between January 30 and March 29.

The move comes less than three weeks before Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics, which take place from February 4 until February 20.

Beijing has already suspended thousands of flights and increased testing, after the city recorded its first community case of the Omicron variant last weekend.

Chinese officials have pursued a strict “zero-Covid” approach with tight border restrictions and targeted lockdowns – a strategy that has come under pressure as multiple clusters have flared across the country ahead of the Winter Olympics.