US and China Reach Agreement to Double Air Service, Increase Flights in September
In an effort to strengthen ties and promote economic recovery, the United States and China have reached a new agreement that will allow air service between the two countries to double by the end of October. Currently, airlines from each country are limited to a combined total of 12 roundtrip operations per week. However, starting from September 1, that number will increase to 18, and then further rise to 24 on October 29.
The US Department of Transportation’s assistant secretary of aviation and international affairs, Carol Petsonk, highlighted the goal of achieving a competitive balance and equal opportunity for both US and Chinese air carriers. This new agreement aims to provide an improved environment for carriers from both countries to exercise their bilateral rights.
Presently, the limited service consists of 12 weekly flights operated by American, Delta, and United to China, while Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, and Xiamen Airlines handle the Chinese airline allocations. As the revised agreement comes into effect, United has already announced plans to utilize its new allocations. It will increase its San Francisco-Shanghai service from four times weekly to daily starting on October 1 and resume daily flights between San Francisco and Beijing in November.
Despite these positive developments, it’s important to note that the air service between the US and China will still be significantly below pre-pandemic levels. In August 2019, there were over 1,600 roundtrips between the two countries. In comparison, the new agreement will only allow slightly more than 200 roundtrips to take place in November.
This increase in air service comes after tensions between the US and China, with China briefly banning service by US airlines early in the pandemic. This move violated the US-China air transport agreement and resulted in ongoing limitations on air service between the two countries. Recently, US airlines have been urging the Department of Transportation to prohibit Chinese carriers from overflying Russia on US routes. They argue that this poses risks to US passengers and gives Chinese airlines a competitive advantage, as US airlines are not allowed to fly over Russian airspace. Utilizing Russian airspace could significantly reduce flight times for certain US-China routes.
While this new agreement marks a step towards improved air service between the US and China, it’s important to closely monitor how these developments will shape the future of aviation and international relations between the two nations.
