In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced that it will bar Chinese passenger airlines from flying into the United States beginning 16 June 2020.
The announcement came after the Trump administration pressures Beijing to allow U.S. airlines (Delta Air Lines and United Airlines) to resume flight. The relationship between the United States and China have somewhat soured in recent times, amid escalating tensions surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic.
Both Delta and United are flying cargo flights to and from China. Delta earlier had requested approval for its daily flight to Shanghai Pudong airport from Detroit and Seattle, while United is asking to fly daily to Shanghai Pudong from San Francisco and Newark airport in New Jersey, and between San Francisco and Beijing.
Affected by this row between the two powerhouse nations are Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines.
“China ‘remains unable’ to say when it will revise its rules to allow U.S. carriers to reinstate scheduled passenger flights,” according to the Transportation Department in a formal notice made public on Wednesday (US Time).
It may be recalled that the Trump administration accused the Chinese government of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service to China, and ordered four Chinese carriers to file flight schedules with the U.S. government.
Based on available records, the Chinese carriers are flying no more than once a week to the United States but also have flown a significant number of additional charter flights to help Chinese students return home.
This is a developing story.