US OKs expansion of China flights in rare thaw between sides

The United States will allow Chinese airlines to expand flights to 12 round trips each week in a rare example of deepening commercial ties between Washington and Beijing.

The announcement by the US Transportation Department (USDOT) on Wednesday matches the number of flights Beijing allows for US airlines.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines will be allowed to operate four weekly round-trip flights each, up from eight weekly round-trip flights in total at present.

The USDOT said Chinese restrictions on air travel “had, and continue to have, a devastating effect” on US-China travel and it aimed to “gradual, broader reopening” of the market.

China has been pushing for more flights to and from the US following the scrapping of its tough “zero COVID” policy last year but those efforts have been stymied by a dispute over the cost advantage Chinese airlines have enjoyed over US rivals by flying over Russia.

Russia banned US and other foreign airlines from its airspace in response to a US ban on Russian airlines introduced to protest Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Despite the boost in flights, air travel between the US and China remains a fraction of its level before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in 2020.

The rare bright spot in US-China ties comes as relations between the superpowers languish at their lowest point in decades amid a heated rivalry for power and influence.