Another U.S. airline has restarted passenger flights to China as Washington continues to push for an easing of travel restrictions that were put in place by Beijing earlier this year during the Covid-19 pandemic.
American Airlines Group Inc. on Wednesday operated its first flight to China in nine months, departing from Dallas-Fort Worth airport in Texas to Pudong International Airport in Shanghai. The carrier said it will operate two flights a week on the route.
Meanwhile, two Chinese carriers –– Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines –– are planning to restart passenger services to the U.S., with each allowed to operate one flight per week. The latest announcements will take the total number of flights between China and the U.S. to 20 from 16.
Before the pandemic struck, Chinese and U.S. airlines operated about 300 weekly round-trip scheduled passenger flights between the two countries, but the number crashed to zero earlier this year after Washington and Beijing took steps to curb international travel as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world.
U.S. airlines stopped flying to China in early February and China subsequently shut its borders and slashed the number of international flights allowed into the country.