China’s aviation authority is allowing the restart of direct flights to Beijing from eight nations. These international services are resuming as early as today.
Back in action
According to FlightGlobal, the first of these operations will be an Air China flight from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Altogether, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) shared yesterday that the following countries have their international services to Beijing restored.
- Austria
- Canada
- Cambodia
- Greece
- Denmark
- Greece
- Pakistan
- Sweden
Still keeping vigilant
Due to the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, since March 23rd, all incoming flights from abroad that were intended for Beijing had been diverted to the ‘first entry point’ in China. Nonetheless, despite some leniency introduced with international operations, authorities are not going to be too relaxed with their stance. They will be ensuring that high standards of safety measures are in place.
According to FlightGlobal, the CAAC said the following about these services:
“In order to further improve the prevention and control of the [COVID-19 pandemic] after the flights resume, the Civil Aviation Administration will take more stringent prevention and control measures on all direct international passenger flights to Beijing, based on the strict implementation of the flight circuit-breaker policy.”
Above all, if there are more than three cases of the virus on the same trip, the aviation authority will order the plane to divert to the first point of entry. Moreover, the group said it will be strict when it comes to passenger load factors. However, it has not yet shared how full these flights can be.
Slowly opening the door
China’s domestic market has bounced back somewhat since the peak of the pandemic in the country. Yet, there is still a while to go when it comes to international traffic. The demand is there, as several passengers rely on flights to the country for personal and business needs. Therefore, these flights to the country’s capital will undoubtedly give more choice for international fliers.
United States-based operators were allowed to fly to China again this summer. However, requests from Chinese carriers for more regular departures have been turned down. So, those traveling between the country and elsewhere will at least have more options as authorities ease some restrictions.
Regardless, there is an ever-changing impact of the global health crisis. Outbreaks are returning in several countries, while other nations are suddenly getting on top of their issues. Therefore, it won’t be a surprise to see another update regarding China’s international flight policy in the coming months.
What are your thoughts about China resuming international flights to Beijing? Do you think that this is a good move for the country? Let us know what you think of the situation in the comment section.
