The Ministry of Transport alleged on Thursday that Beijing violated an air travel agreement and treated airlines unfairly under a system that requires them to suspend flights if passengers test positive for COVID-19.
US regulators have grounded seven Air China Ltd flights. from New York and a total of 19 flights from Los Angeles by Air China, China Eastern Airlines Ltd., China Southern Airlines Ltd. and Xiamen Airlines Ltd., according to the Ministry of Transportation.
It said it was equal to the number of flights United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines had to cancel under Beijing’s “circuit breaker” system.
The ruling Communist Party’s “zero COVID” strategy aims to keep the virus out of China while other governments move to live with the disease. This has kept case numbers low but is disrupting travel, manufacturing and trade. Beijing is easing travel restrictions, but most foreign visitors are still barred from entering China.
Until August 7, if up to nine passengers on a flight tested positive, an airline could suspend a flight for two weeks or reduce the number of passengers it carried to 40% of the possible total, according to the DoT. It said that from August 7 airlines are required to suspend a flight if the number of positive tests reaches 4% of passengers on a flight.
The agency complained that airlines face “undue blame” for passengers who test negative before boarding but test positive after arriving in China.
China’s actions “are based on circumstances completely beyond the control of the carriers,” the US statement said.
“We reserve the right to take additional measures” if Beijing imposes “further circuit breaker measures,” the statement said.
